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Volume 5, Issue 7 August 2013

Growth of the Game P 2

Player Development P 3

Assistants Corner P 5

Rules Corner P 5

Patriot Golf Day-Are you Participating? P 7

Tournament News P 9-12

Upcoming Tournaments P 13

PGA Championship—Digital Spectator Program P 13

Upcoming Events P 14

Fitness—Finish Summer Strong with a New Approach P 15

Member Updates & Birthdays P 16

Member Benefits P 17-20

PGA Championship week is upon us and we have two of our own

who will be part of the 20 PGA Professionals playing for the

Wanamaker Trophy. Bob Gaus, Tower Tee, and JC Anderson,

Missouri Bluffs, will represent the Gateway PGA at Oak Hill on

August 8-11. Please tune-in to our associations Championship

as the PGA of America has not only invested in a great event

but there will be a considerable effort to promote you. There is

a continued push to promote player development programs and especially Get Golf

Ready. If you have not started a program and/or promoted it through Active.com or

playgolfamerica.com please consider doing so. Also, for your convenience, we will

have a live leaderboard displayed on our homepage that isolates the play of Bob and

JC during the PGA Championship.

The Junior Golf Program has wrapped up a tremendous summer. It was really neat

to see the work of Alex, Ali and their team. This season was a little different than

years past. We made a concerted effort to create separation amongst the divisions.

The mini and novice 9 divisions were pulled under the Foundation and treated as a

true development program. The other divisions were set-up to create a competitive

step ladder that culminates with the Tour Division. The parent feedback was

tremendous and I am excited for the continued growth. In addition, the program has

grown the interest and support of sponsors and will continue to do so in the years

ahead. A special thank you to all of our PGA Professionals and facilities for the

continued support of the Gateway PGA Junior Program.

Another quick reminder - the 2013 Gateway PGA Awards process is here. You

should have received an email asking you to nominate a deserving PGA

Professional. If you have not and you are a class A Gateway PGA Member, please

contact the section office. In the coming days, an email notification will be coming

out about the dates for the Awards Dinner and the Fall Meeting. I look forward to

seeing many of you at the upcoming Gateway PGA Pro-Am’s and events over the

month of August.

Section Officers

Joe Schwent, PGA President

Nathan Charnes, PGA Vice-President

Benjiman Kent, PGA Secretary

Gateway PGA Staff

Josh Riley, PGA Executive Director

Steve Finn, PGA Assistant Executive Director

Alex Anderson Director or Junior Golf

Ali Wells, PGA Growth of the Game and

Program Director

Lindsay Riley Foundation Admin Assistant

Susan Bender Membership

All the best,

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GROWTH OF THE GAME

Old Hickory Golf Club, Golf Discount of St. Louis, 34 Gateway Junior PGA members, 5 local

College golfers, and 6 PGA Professionals – A great recipe for the 2nd Annual College Skills

Combine! Thank you to Golf Discount of St. Louis for sponsoring this unique experience and

to some outstanding golf professionals for their commitment to helping young

competitive juniors advance in their game: Dennis Biedenstein, Barbara Blanchar, Michael

Brown, Don Gorin, Helen Kurtin, and Rob Sedorcek. Check out the pictures from this year’s

event.

Announcing the rescheduled dates for both Family Golf Night and Women’s Golf Day 2013:

Family Golf Night—Now at Sunset Hills Country Club in Edwardsville, IL on Saturday, August 17th, invite

your friends and bring your family for an evening of golf, games, food, and fun. Join us from 4-7pm.

Women’s Golf Day—This afternoon of golf instruction, networking, shopping, and socializing for the ladies is

rescheduled for Saturday, September 21st at the Quarry at Crystal Springs. We welcome all golf professionals

who would like to participate and teach. If you are not available to help, please consider signing up as a Get Golf

Ready host facility and posting programs. Over 120 golfing ladies will leave the Quarry educated on Get Golf

Ready and excited to continue with the sport. Make sure your facility is “on the list”! Please contact Ali Wells to

sign up to attend Family Golf Night or teach at Women’s Golf Day Awells@pgahq.com

This past week marked the end of the Gateway Junior PGA summer season. The introduction of a new format for

the Mini and Novice 9 Divisions (now the Junior Development Tour) was received well and considered a great

success. The staff and junior members are looking forward to the fall season, but check out the pictures from

some of the events this year!

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The number of programs posted so far in July is up 35% overall compared to the same period last year!

At the same time, a good percentage of our GGR facilities do not have programs posted, thus are not

fully prepared to take advantage of our promotions. Currently Gateway is ranked 10th among the PGA

Sections. Don’t forget that an extensive Get Golf Ready promotional campaign will be

conducted in conjunction with the PGA Championship. With a potential reach of more than 4 million

households in the US, we are sure to see a huge spike in traffic to GetGolfReady.com. You want to

take full advantage of this by having your player development programs posted to the website. Click

here for an easy to follow marketing plan leading up to the PGA Championship.

Barbara Blanchar, PGA teaching professional at WingHaven Country Club in O'Fallon, Mo., recently

took advantage of the increased promotion of Get Golf Ready. "I posted Get Golf Ready for women

following the Senior PGA Championship and had six people register for the program without reaching

out to them. They must have seen the Get Golf Ready advertisements during the Senior PGA

Championship. It really works!"

Over 4 million U.S. households will be watching the PGA Championship next

week—and we’re helping you reach them by airing 35 PSAs to promote

program registration on PGA.com and GetGolfReady.com.

All you need to do to get in on the exposure is post your events on Program

Manager. Here’s an easy step-by-step guide to show you how.

For other ways to increase exposure and improve your marketing tactics, check out these tools below:

PGA Expo: Seminars and 1-on-1 assistance

Weekly live training sessions: Program Setup & Marketing 101

eMarketing Center: Free Templates, How-To Guides, Marketing Tips, and More

Sincerely,

Ron Stepanek, PGA

Director, Player Development

The PGA of America

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ASSISTANTS CORNER

There are a lot of good things coming around the corner as we enter into August for the

Assistants of the Gateway Section.

The Assistants 2-Man Tournament is now into the semifinal round. These matches should be

completed by the end of August. This will set up our championship match in September.

We are getting closer and closer to our Assistants Championship at Greenbriar Hills

Country Club on Tuesday, September 3. The national deadline for signing up has passed but

you can still play in this event. Sign up through the section opens up on August 12. We are really excited about

this year’s event and the excellent promotions that Cobra-Puma Golf has included to those playing in the event this

year. Mark your calendars and get signed up on August 12!

As always feel free to contact any one of your committee members with any questions or concerns you might

have. Your committee members are: Illini Country Club Forest Hills Country Club Quincy Country Club Quincy Country Club Westwood Country Club Winghaven Country Club Meadowbrook Country Club The Club at Old Hawthrone The Club at Old Hawthrone

Michael Leotta, PGA Chairman Brandon Coffey, PGA Vice-Chairman George Schrage, Secretary Gideon Smith, PGA Board Liaison Ty Zimmerman, PGA Past-Chairman Andrew Jury RJ Villafuerte, PGA Richard Niedergerke, PGA Austin Waibel

RULES CORNER During the AJGA Rolex Girls Invitational at Dalhousie an alert intern kept one of the

competitors from making a mistake.

On the 15th hole a competitor hit her second shot into an area of tall fescue. She walked

forward about twenty yards when the scorer for the group told her she might want to hit a

provisional. The intern, Bill Hebron from St. Louis and former caddie at Algonquin, knew

this was not the proper procedure.

He correctly informed the competitor that if she went back and played from where the previous stroke was made

the ball would not be a provisional ball but would become her ball in play. This was fortunate because she then

went forward and found the original ball and was able to play it.

Rule 27-2a tells a player that they must play the provisional ball before he or she goes forward to search. The rule

says "If he fails to do so and plays another ball, that ball is not a provisional ball and becomes the ball in play

under penalty of stroke and distance".

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Gateway PGA Section Award Nomination Reminder An email went out on Monday, August 5, 2013 with an embedded nomination form to all Gateway PGA

Members. Please take a moment to nominate a deserving Gateway PGA Professional. Please use the emailed

form you received on August 5th or contact the Gateway PGA Section office if you did not receive the

communication. For your reference, the nomination process, judging groups, 2012 award winners, and criteria is

described in the link and attachment below. Please make a note that all nominations must be made by

Wednesday, August 14th by 11:59 pm.

2012 Gateway PGA Award Winners

2013 Awards Process

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The seventh annual Patriot Golf Day® takes place

August 30-September 2, 2013. Golfers nationwide are

asked to donate a minimum of $1 to benefit the Folds of

Honor Foundation® to provide educational scholarships for

children and spouses of military service men and women

killed or disabled while serving our great nation. During the

past six years, Patriot Golf Day has raised more than $17

million dollars and the Folds of Honor Foundation has

awarded more than 3,500 scholarships.

PGA Professional Dan Rooney, a former F-16 fighter

pilot in the Oklahoma Air National Guard, is the

founder of the Folds of Honor Foundation. Major

Rooney has served three tours in Iraq. 'We have lost so many soldiers who have given the

ultimate sacrifice. America can come together in the spirit of golf and have a dramatic impact. We

have an opportunity to make a difference for the families who have made the ultimate sacrifice.'

OFFICIAL PATRIOT GOLF DAY HOST FACILITIES!

A.L. Gustin Golf Course Gateway Section Paradise Valley Golf Course

Algonquin Golf Club Glen Echo Country Club Persimmon Woods Golf Club

Annbriar Golf Course The Golf Club at Deer Chase Pevely Farm Golf Club

Ballwin Golf Club Golf Galaxy - Chesterfield Pomme Creek Golf Course

Barbara Blanchar Golf Golf Galaxy - Fairview Heights Quail Creek Country Club

Bellerive Country Club Heritage Hills Golf Course The Quarry at Crystal Springs

Berry Hill Golf Course Illini Country Club Quincy Country Club

Bogey Hills Golf & CC Indian Rock Driving Range The Rail Golf Club

Boone Valley Golf Club Innsbrook Resort G C Red Hawk Country Club

Cape Girardeau Country Club Jacksonville Country Club Riverside Golf Club

The Club at Old Hawthorne Jefferson City Country Club Rolling Hills Country Club

The Club at Old Kinderhook Kirksville Country Club Sedorcek's Swing Solutions

The Club at Porto Cima Lake Forest CC Shambolee Golf Course

Columbia Country Club Lake Shore Golf Course St. Louis Country Club

Country Club at the Legends Lake Valley Golf & CC Sunset Country Club

Country Club of St. Albans The Landings at Spirit GC Sunset Hills Country Club

Crab Orchard Golf Course The Legacy Golf Course Tamarack Golf Club

Cruisin' USA Lodge of the Four Seasons Westborough Country Club

Dick's Sporting Goods Meadow Lake Acres Country Club Westview Golf Course

Dogwood Hills Golf Resort Meadowbrook Country Club Whitmoor Country Club

Edgewood Golf Club Meramec Lakes G.C. WingHaven Country Club

Eldon Country Club Normandie Golf Club Wolf Hollow Golf Club

Falls Golf Club Oak Brook Golf Club Woodlands Golf Club

Four Seasons Country Club Orchards Golf Course

Fox Run Golf Club Osage National Golf Club

Gateway National Golf Links Panther Creek Country Club

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When GPGA Hall of Famer Steve Heckel decided to make

the trip from Crab Orchard to Illini CC in Springfield, IL,

with his partner Larry Emery, it proved to be a great move

as the duo captured the lucrative Team Championship

Title. After 36 holes on the beautiful 6600 yard layout,

Heckel & Emery ended with a 2 shot victory coming in with

rounds of 64-67, 11-under par for the day. Tying for second

was Nash Haxel & Dave Levine, and the young gun team of

Sam Jonell & Eric Ratzlaff of Persimmon Woods GC. Rounding out the top 5 were the teams of

Steve Lotz & Bob Gaus and defending champions Gideon Smith & Jeff Escott.

Shane Blankenship got his first win of 2013 at Forest Hills

CC by firing a 5-under par round of 67. Shane, who works in

the summers at Franklin County CC in Washington, made 7

birdies and 2 bogeys on the way to a 2-shot victory. Coming

home tied for runner-up honors was Bob Gaus & St. Albans

teaching pro Rob Sedorcek, who both shot 3-under par

69's. Brian Schmersahl (The Falls GC), Jason Woods

(Birdies & Tees), and Brian Fogt (Bellerive CC), rounded out the top five with 2 -under par 70's.

Bob Gaus won his 2nd Sr. Stroke Play Title for 2013 with a

3-under par 69. His round was good enough for a 1-stroke

victory over Brian Fogt (70) while Mike Brengard was 1-shot

back at 71. Steve Heckel of Crab Orchard finished 4th at even

par while JC Anderson & Garth Bayer (Old Warson CC) tied for

5th at 73.

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Going into the week, Brian Fogt knew his chances were good at the

Gateway PGA Professional Championship at Persimmon Woods

GC. Brian has been playing well of late and coming off nearly

qualifying for his second consecutive US Sr. Open, was looking to

move on to bigger things by having a great event at Persimmon. The

top 3 finishers in this Championship are guaranteed a spot in the 2014

PGA Professional National Championship in Myrtyle Beach, SC, next

June and could eventually earn their way into the 2014 PGA

Championship.

At the end of Day 1, Craig Liddle of Meadowbrook CC, was alone atop

the leaderboard after carding a 4-under par 67. Liddle would be paired

in the final group with Dave Levine of Berry Hill GC (68) and Gideon

Smith of Quincy CC (69) for the final round. As the day unfolded it

was Fogt and Larry Emery of Crab Orchard GC, who were putting on the charge after first round

72's. At the end of 36 holes, 3 players were tied at 2-under par and would have a playoff to deter-

mine the champion. Fogt, Liddle, & Emery, headed out to #18 to begin the playoff and after Fogt &

Liddle made birdie 4's, Emery was eliminated with his par 5. Onto the tough par 4 10th, Liddle's par

putt just missed after he missed the green, and Fogt 2 putted for par to win the title. Fogt earned

$2700 for the victory.

Gideon Smith defeated Bryan McMurray on their first playoff hole to earn the 1st Alternate spot,

while Host Head Professional Jeff Escott, will be the 3rd Alternate. The final player to move on to

the 2014 National Championship will be determined at the Gateway Section Championship at

Panther Creek CC in Springfield, IL, on September 23-24th.

Lake Forest CC & St. Louis CC won the Gross & Net Divisions at

the Annual Gateway PGA Pro-Jr Pro-Am at Innsbrook Golf

Resort.

The Lake Forest team of Tim Curran (p), Zach Franklin, Charles

Wray, & Dylan Clay, finished the day at 18-under par 122. The

format for the day was a Shamble Format and counted the best 2

scores for the team.

The Net Division was won by the St. Louis CC team of Grant

Masson (p), Mac Rouse, Sam Hanser, & Drew Bolster.

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Just a note to let you know that the

2013 Gateway PGA Foundation

Pro-Am will be held on Monday,

October 14th, at Boone Valley Golf

Club in Augusta, MO.

More details will be coming soon,

but we are excited to repeat the

great Foundation Pro-Ams we have

had in past years at Bellerive CC

and Fox Run GC.

St. Albans CC hosted the Gateway PGA UnderArmour Scratch Pro-Am on Monday, July 29th. The

Annual event features some of the best Amateur players

in the area competing as 4-person teams with their PGA

Professionals. At the end of the day, the Norwood Hills

CC team of Ryan Roy (p), Brian Craig, David Johnson,

& Scott Holdridge, fired a 16-under par round of 128 on

the Lewis & Clark course. That was good enough for a

1-stroke victory over the teams of St. Albans CC,

Bellerive CC, and St. Louis CC. The team from A.L. Gustin GC in Columbia, MO, came home 5th at

11-under par. The competition was scored with the 2 best scores on each hole over the round. John

Sheridan of Under Armour was on hand and provided each player with an Under Armour Cold Black

Performance golf shirt. Bill Bourgeois of Mizuno Golf was also on hand allowing players to demo the

new Mizuno equipment.

Brian Fogt of Bellerive CC was low pro for the day with a 2-under par round of 70. Ryan Roy &

Gideon Smith of Quincy CC tied for second with 71 and Adam Betz of Meadowbrook CC came home

4th at even par 72. Rob Sedorcek (St. Albans), Grant Masson (St. Louis CC), and Dave Levine (Berry

Hill GC), rounded out the top 5 with 73's.

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2013 Playing Ability Test Schedule The following Playing Ability Tests are scheduled within the Gateway PGA on the following dates: Thursday, August 29th Eagle Springs GC Thursday, September 19th Arlington Greens GC Thursday, October 10th Arlington Greens GC Registration is available at www.pgalinks.com

Click the image on the

right to view the

Digital Spectator

Program for the 2013

PGA Championship at

Oak Hill Country Club

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Optimal Lifestyles, Inc is a health and fitness consulting company and fitness education sponsor for the Gateway PGA. Optimal Lifestyles, Inc. provides personal training, golf fitness and yoga for golfers. The information provided by Optimal Lifestyles is for educational purposes and should not replace care or advice of a physician. Please check with a physician if you are starting an exercise program or suspect you are ill.

Brought To You by Optimal Lifestyles, Inc.

Finish Summer Strong with New Approach

As we move toward the downward slope of midsummer, our enthusiasm for the same outdoor

workout activities we first enjoyed may be waning along with the season. Golf, however, runs

late into fall, so we need to refresh our fitness routines with something fun and interesting – in

the interest of staying fit and keeping our golf game strong. In other words, let’s try something

new to keep motivated.

For a new exercise booster, I’d like to suggest an activity that is

becoming increasingly popular in the Midwest. Have you ever tried

paddle boarding in a local lake? Paddle boarding is wonderful

exercise because it builds focus, core strength and balance. The

activity offers potential for a full body workout, as well. As you

know, focus, strength, balance and a workout are important and good

for golf.

Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) was created when Waikiki surfers stood on boards and

navigated their way through the waves with a long paddle.

I jumped on the bandwagon because I have a friend who took a boarding class and really

enjoyed the challenge, and the excitement of adding a new, fun activity to her fitness routine. I

plan to try this activity to build my core. Paddleboarders stand on a board in the water that is

typically 10 to 12 feet long, and use a long paddle to move through

the water at their own pace—all the time using the core of their body.

In addition to core strengthening, paddleboarding builds balance and

focus, two practices which are required—otherwise the board tips

over!

About the same time my friend talked about SUP, I ran across an

article in June 2013 Yoga Journal magazine that talked about doing

yoga on paddleboard. Yoga, too, involves strength, focus and balance. Add a paddleboard and

voila! You’ve automatically added more challenge. Yoga is great for improving your golf

game and overall fitness. Next time, we’ll talk more about yoga as an alternative golf fitness

activity. Good news: you can practice yoga outside, too!

Bottom line: Don’t let the end-of-summer blues stall your fitness plans. Paddleboarding is just

one option; make it a point to discover some new, fun and challenging ways to stay fit. In the

meantime, if you want to change up your fitness routine, Optimal Lifestyles can help. We offer

yoga classes and a variety of group fitness classes in several locations. Contact Barb at

314-984-0592 for more details.

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Jeff Whitfield, PGA 8/2 Jim Knoesel, PGA 8/16

Shawn A. Deaver, PGA 8/5 Kevin Collins, PGA 8/17

Thomas DeGrand, PGA 8/5 Travis R Kennedy 8/17

Chuck Rowland, PGA 8/6 Michael Murphy, PGA 8/17

Al Chandler, PGA 8/7 Larry W. Suhre, PGA 8/21

Kirk Porter, PGA 8/7 Kevin Dunn, PGA 8/22

Perry R. Wergin, PGA 8/7 Stephen L. Lotz, PGA 8/23

David Furlong, PGA 8/9 Frank W. Hodgdon IV, PGA 8/27

Donald C. Gorin, PGA 8/10 Wayne Morris, PGA 8/27

Jonathan H. Tips, PGA 8/10 Trey A. Strong, PGA 8/28

Garth Bayer, PGA 8/12 William F. Hall, PGA 8/29

Dave A. Garren, PGA 8/12 Thomas E Beavers 8/30

Stephen W. Augustine, PGA 8/14 Rusty A. Cummings, PGA 8/30

Dale M. David, PGA 8/14 Brian A. Maine, PGA 8/31

Kenneth D. Mason II, PGA 8/14 Ashley V Nicks 8/31

Neel Andy Crowe, PGA 8/16

August Birthdays

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