When you decide you want to learn to golf you usually do not have golf clubs. We advise you not to purchase until you have had some lessons. You need to see if you like the game and your teaching professional can help you make the right choice when you decided to buy.  As golfers we are always buying something new so we start quite the collection of golf equipment. Below is equipment from both Calgary & Edmonton clients ranging from Free to $250 and the contacts phone # and/or e-mail so you can contact them directly if you are interested.

CALGARY 

Nike woods, driver 3,5,7 $100 or best offer

Foldable pull cart $15

Contact Beatrice 587-228-9998

TaylorMade clubs; used a couple of seasons, some not used at all asking $250

4,5,6 hybrid rbz; 6,7,8,9 irons rbz; Sand wedge rbz; 3,5 Woods rbz

Taylormade white smoke putter

TaylorMade Black bag

Contact Angie angie.larson@shaw.ca

Set of Callaways, without the putter & a hallway golf bag $100

Contact Jane  email:  mckjane@shaw.ca 403 861-2941

A new right hand set with bag never used $150

Contact Emily  403.284.8419

Golf bag in good condition Free (cart bag so it’s a little heavier)

Contact Donna donnaleegr1@gmail.com

Adams golf cart bag (BAG ONLY)  Free

Contact Alicia alyciadberg@gmail.com

TaylorMade Kalea Putter; click here for details

Contact Cindy cinbooth@gmail.com

Ashley Lopez Clubs (no driver but woods, irons and hybrids) $40

Contact Louise Scoble 403 863 9507

Offers on everthing below

Adams Clubs comes with cart bag $500

Goliath Clubs comes with carry bag $200

Contact Alison Tang  alison.tang@shaw.ca

Ping or Ogio Golf Bag

Ping Rhapsody Driver 14 degree; Callaway Razorhawk Driver 11.5 degree

Cobra Baffler Rail #3 Hybrid 22 degree; Taylormade r&max #5 Fairway

Ping #6 Iron

3 odyssey Putters

Set of Callawy 2X0 Irons (9 clubs total)

Contact  Theresa Elford  tmeandnje@shaw.ca

Give-Away

Nancy Lopez Clubs Driver, 3 wood, Irons- 7, 8, 9, pitching & sand wedge

Cobra 5 & 6 rescue

Taylor Made 2 rescue clubs

Rossa spider putter

Contact Marielle Galibois 403 238-4479

EDMONTON

Push Cart needs a new home Free

Contact Lynn Stolarchuk stolarchuk@shaw.ca

Golf umbrella (with Garda logo) free

Nancy Lopez  3 hybrid 18 degree loft $20 or obo

Taylor Made R5 driver 12 degree loft $20 or obo

Taylor Made V Steel 5 wood 18 degree loft with club head cover  $20 obo

Taylor Made V Steel 3 wood 15 degree loft with club head cover $20 or obo

Taylor Made Rossa putter $10

Contact Joey joey@permitsolutions.ca

The indoor practice has been a hit this winter, numbers hit 30 at the Eaglequest North Dome at Fox Hollow after the cold took a break, I think that is a record. The National Golf Academy Dome in the south brought out people we have never seen in the winter and numbers were max’d each time. Thanks to both venues for making it a terrific experience and thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy. Bonnie Gingerysty a farm girl from Saskatchewan treated us to some Portugal wines at our wine tasting at the last organized practice session at the South Dome.  Practice will continue in the north through to the end of April and you should see some additional outside practice facilities starting to open. We are very fortunate to have the indoor domes in Calgary it something I think the Edmonton ladies would love to have.

VEST Keep warm golfing this spring in a stylish Stormtech softshell logo’d vest. Its outer shell is engineered to keep you warm and dry despite changes in the weather.
Colours: Red; Black; Carbonheather; ElectricBlue ; Kiwi ; Navyheather
Sizes XS to XXL Also available in men’s sizes

Golfaround Price $59.99 plus GST

PACKABLE JACKET When you need to layer when playing at the start of the season or if you are traveling to a climate where the weather is changeable, this fully packable jacket lets you bring it everywhere you go. Easy to stow and ready to keep you dry when needed, available in amazing colours, white, red, blue, black, green all with grey accents. This lightweight logo’d jacket packs away into the lower left pocket. It features Shieldtech properties, water resistant coating and wind resistant. As well as, contrast reverse coil centre front zipper with easy grip pull, lower concealed reverse coil zipper pockets, elasticized sleeve cuffs with thumb exit and back ventilation.
Sizes; XS to XXXL Also available in men’s sizes.

Golfaround Price $47.99 plus GST

 

As I am sure we would all attest to, playing golf is great fun but also offers a wide range of mental and physical benefits. I am sure we know that when we are out golfing we totally enjoy the human contact which is vital to our mental wellbeing. In addition deciding which will be our high percentage shot, keeping track of our score and other mental aspects keep our minds sharp. The golf clubhouse is a great place for socializing, meeting people with a variety of lifestyles and making new friends. We can also rationalize that glass of wine with the fact that we just burned off a zillion calories so we deserve the treat. Seriously a round of golf definitely has many physical fitness benefits. Recently we were interviewed by a freelance journalist for our thoughts on golf and health and the article is here for your interest.

Some of the girls got into the swing of things in February working on their Short Game and others finished the indoor portion of their Swing Improvement lessons taught by Tiffany Gordon and Kirsten Berrien. I have seen a few of them practicing at the north and south domes warming up with the recommended stretches, and working through the sequence of drills drilled into them over the 4 week period. They look forward to their outdoor session in May when they will hit some balls under the Pro’s watchful eye. Riverside Golf Centre hosted the Short Game lessons once again this year. Instruction was provided by Dave Nikirk a 25 CPGA member for 12 years teaching professional at  Springbank Links. He has taught of 15,000 lessons “worked with what people bring to the lesson tee. Spoon feed the appropriate information gradually. Less is more in the most cases.”  Luke Workman  PGA of Alberta’s Coach of the Year in 2018 whose home during the summer is The Glencoe Golf Club also taught for us. The ladies really enjoyed his  interesting approach & practice tools which helped putting accuracy. He has a keen interest in player development, and looks forward to helping each player improve their game and enjoy the game more.

Historic Kinsale is our next port of call which was one of our favorites It is a delightful town and a pleasure to roam its ancient streets. It is compact with a quaint air of antiquity in the narrow streets and possible to walk the entire central village in 20 minutes. The walk along the harbour is particularly pleasant and was a favorite of ours.
Originally a medieval fishing port, historic Kinsale in County Cork, is one of the most picturesque, popular and historic towns on the south west coast of Ireland. It has been hailed as the Gourmet Capital of Ireland, with no shortage of pubs, cafes, and restaurants to suit every taste and budget. Kinsale is still a fishing village. Located some 25 km (18 m) south of Cork City on the coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon and has a population of more than 2000, which increases substantially during the summer months with tourism and boating at their peaks.
Kinsale has two major forts James’s Fort and Charles Fort, which is an imposing star fort located at Summer Cove directly across from James’s Fort. It was built to guard the entrance to Kinsale harbour and specifically to protect the harbour from use by the French and Spanish in the event of a landing in Ireland. An underwater chain would be strung between the two forts across the harbour mouth during times of war to scuttle enemy ships by ripping the bottom out of incoming vessels.
You may remember hearing about the sinking of the RMS Luisitania by a German u boat in 1915 some of the bodies and survivors were brought to Kinsale and a subsequent inquest was held in the town’s courthouse. A verdict of murder against the Kaiser and the German forces was a major factor in bringing the US into WWI. A statue in the harbour commemorates the effort.
The town is known for its restaurants, and holds an annual “Gourmet Festival”. There are too many restaurants in town to cover all of them. So we’ll just mention the ones we experienced first-hand. Fishy Fishy is perhaps the best known restaurant in town and one of the best seafood restaurants in Ireland, we would definately recommend it. Jola, owned by a young Polish woman, is located in an old restored stone building, the main room is downstairs with open air right up to the rafters. Mo-Po or modern Polish. The pub food and atmosphere is delightful, check out Jim Edwards at Market Quay.
Kinsale Heritage Town Walks provide the ideal way to explore this unique town which has been at the centre of Irish history since the first settlers came — the history of Kinsale is the History of Ireland.
You may be interested in a walking tour run by Dermot Ryan, rated the best guide in Ireland. Guiding since 1966, he uses maps and photographs to show how the history of Kinsale is the history of Ireland. Open walks from the Tourist Office at 10:30am. cost 5 euro and group, private and specialized tours offered, we did this and it was great.
Old Head Golf Course
Occupying a stunning and unique headland reaching out over two miles into the Atlantic Ocean, the Old Head of Kinsale is home to the most spectacular world-class golf course one has ever seen, it will take your breath away. It is a piece of golf real estate like no other, that causes many a golfer and visitor to pinch themselves as they drive through the ancient gateway with the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean some 300 feet below. The sensory overload does not stop there with the journey along the fragrant Hydrangea and Rosa Rugosa lining the Old Head driveway providing stunning vistas across the superbly manicured golf course, with the powerful ocean on both sides and beyond the famous lighthouse that lies in front. Wow it was amazing and then we saw the helicopters land and unload the golfers on board.
Nine of the eighteen holes play along the cliff tops with all eighteen holes offering unsurpassed ocean views. With the ever changing sea breezes the course provides a stern test to all levels of golfers. Tee times are booked here a year in advance and we feel so fortunate to be able to play at such a prestigious course. When we were there it was a picture perfect day as we sipped our wine on the expansive deck above the course, lets hope we are lucky again. I was checking out Trip Advisor about Old Head and the following is about a visitor who couldn’t get a tee time but just went there to see and take some pictures, and then he was invited to play – what he says gives me shivers,
“What followed is simply the greatest golf experience of my life . Transcendent and Zen in nature. On a clear blue sky overlooking the most dramatic golf course on earth ( and in the land of my ancestors ) I achieved pure golf happiness . Golf Nirvana if you will.”
Can’t wait!!!

Eileen Forbes got her Hole in One at Valley Ridge Golf Club last season. We traditionally embroider a towel from the golf course with the date and hole # where the moment of brilliance accomplished. We presented her with her towel in February at her indoor Short Game lessons where she could shared this triumph with fellow Golfaround members.

Di and I played with an awesome couple in Cozumel last month and got to experience the new Flag Stick rule, so we thought it would be a fitting time to talk about some of the new golf rules.

These changes have been made in an effort to modernize the game and eliminate several unusual rules that were confusing and also speed up play. Some of these changes will impact a players thinking, that said, there are several basic rule changes that will come into play for casual golfers.

The new rules will increase the pace of play if managed well. Golfaround has always promoted Ready Golf resulting in a great pace of play and I found it interesting to see some of the new rules support what many of us have already been doing.  Watch this  video as it demonstrates a number of the rule changes, a big thanks to Debbie McKelvey for sending  it to us.

Clubs will have local rules that they will implement and follow and I think the majority of Golfaround members already follow a set of local  rules.  Some of the new rules will impact us:

Flagstick

The flag stick can be left in the hole and if your ball hits it you do not have to incur a penalty.   Initially I thought this may hurt pace of play but when you all agree that you are going to leave the flag in it did save time. In addition, it will eliminate green damage caused by inappropriate removal and placement of the pin.

Penalty Areas

Goodbye water hazards, hello “penalty areas.” The new rules do away with traditional terminology and include hazardous spots now called penalty areas. For one penalty stroke, you may use specific relief options to play a ball from outside the penalty area. The penalty area could be a dry ravine, thick woods, a pond or any area you can’t hit your ball from.

Local Rule for out of bounds, lost ball

As recreational golfers we play ready golf and only take one mulligan (do over) per nine holes so we would probably drop a ball where we think it went in.  Provisional balls are played in Pro circuit and some tournaments but we wouldn’t hit a 2nd ball or return to the tee to hit  another ball as the Pros would. The same local rule applies to a lost ball, with the player able to drop in the fairway across from where the previous ball is estimated to have come to rest.

Take a knee

Speaking of all these drops, players should drop the ball from knee height instead of shoulder height whenever a drop is specified for relief.

Distance-measuring devices

There is a quiet & discreet way to use our toys, they can hinder pace of play if not used properly. In professional play distance-measuring devices used to be prohibited unless the committee allowed them. Our local rules have always allowed them as the new rule now states. But don’t expect to see them in the U.S. Open anytime soon.

The old double-hit

There is no longer a penalty for hitting a ball multiple times on the same swing. The old rules stated that if a player swung and hit the ball more than once, the player had to count the stroke and take a penalty stroke.

Search Time

Time to look for a lost ball has been reduce from 5 min to 3 min, the Golfaround local rule is to go have a quick look and if you don’t find it drop a ball and continue on.  How will I count  – 1 stroke

Embedded Ball

You now get a free drop or you can move it, so we don’t have to play it where it lies. Nice to know we don’t have to take a stroke for this anymore.

As a recreational golfers in Golfaround rules are not that important, having said that it is important to have this knowledge if you are going to compete in tournaments or want to keep an accurate score for handicapping purposes.  The main change as we see it would be leaving the flag stick in place vs minding and pulling it &  and the penalty strokes will improve our scores….Hey I like that.

Edmonton Golf Show Expo Centre, Hall C

March 9 & 10

Calgary Golf Show BMO Centre Hall B

March 23 & 24

Baby it’s cold outside!!!  There is a mountain of snow on the ground and a couple of months for winter activities, but Spring is coming.  Are you sick of snow, blizzards and shoveling your driveway? Get out of the cold to experience a taste of the spring that is on its way by visiting the Golf Show this month, it will lift your spirits. The March Golf Shows  kick off the golf season for us and many avid golfers.

Reasons to attend:

Sharpen your skills by getting a bit of instruction, attending informational seminars or participating in hands-on lessons or skills clinics.

Visit the Clearance Center to purchase golf equipment and apparel,  the discounts alone make it well worth the trip.

Check out the “stay & play” packages and new destinations to travel to to golf.

Take a test drive trying out a club before you buy. An area is available for golfers to test the latest equipment from an assortment of manufacturers.

Enter contests where you win prizes, I am not sure what they will have to test our skills this year but there always something.

Win prizes and giveaways by registering to win door prizes & drawings.

Of the 246 true links courses in the world, almost 20% are in Ireland.  A golf trip in the Emerald Isle is like stepping into another world… one where great golf takes centre stage, where the pace of life is refreshingly sedate and the welcomes really are as warm as the legend suggests. Ireland has many spectacular Links Courses, many with dramatic sand dunes and beautiful coastlines. In addition Ireland also boasts some amazing parkland courses as well.
Our first Irish golf experience is at St Anne’s Golf Club which is located on the fabulous Bull Island in Dublin City , a world famous nature reserve and home to many bird species and terrestrial mammal species. It is also home to some beautiful plant species and you may even see seals hauled out on the sand.

Founded in 1921, St. Anne’s started life as a 9 hole course and in 1989 achieved 18 hole links course status.
It has come a long way from the humble clubhouse of 1925 its clubhouse is now an extraordinary building,  designed to complement the surrounding landscape. Since 2003 it has what is now one of the most impressive clubhouses in the country with wonderful facilities and spectacular views of Dublin bay.
The Golf course is well presented with fast greens, lots of water hazards and tight fairways. Even on a calm day it presents a daunting challenge. It is a compact links with many of the holes running parallel to each other between low lying sand hills that adds character and definition to a fairly flat landscape. The four short holes here are all challenging and small water hazards come into play close to the green.
I am sure this inaugural experience will get our juices flowing and we will be chomping at the bit to savor some more great golf.