Why this week’s Euro tour event in Saudi Arabia is causing so much controversy

Source: Golf.com

By Dylan Dethier Monday, January 28, 2019

Four of the top five players in the world will head to Saudi Arabia this week for the debut of a new European Tour event: The Saudi International powered by SBIA, which will be held at the newly-opened Royal Greens Golf and Country Club. Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed are among those heading to the Euro Tour this week. Here’s what you need to know about the tournament, why it has become such a hot-button topic and what players have said on the matter.

The Saudi International

The Saudi International powered by SBIA kicks off Thursday, Jan. 31, in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia, at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club. The golf course was officially opened in 2018 after years of planning and is a central feature in a Saudi development that is the first golf community of its kind. While work on the course began in the mid-2000s, progress was halted in 2008 and did not resume until 2014 before its grand opening last year.

The event, with its $3.5 million purse, is one of six tournaments to be played on the Arabian Peninsula, according to Euro Tour executive director Keith Pelley, who has said a seventh could be added in the future.

Why it’s controversial

While many international golf tournaments take place in countries with dubious human rights records, Saudi Arabia has come under particularly intense examination since the October killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist who had spoken out against Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Washington Post columns. Khashoggi, a resident of the United States who had traveled to Turkey, was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul after agreeing to meet there. Turkish officials as well as intelligence agencies from around the world (including those from the United States) have concurred that the crown prince was likely responsible for ordering the killing and dismembering of Khashoggi. While the U.N. continues to investigate, the brazen act of violence against a journalist led to widespread condemnation of the Saudi government in recent months.

Who’s in the field

It’s a star-studded list. There’s World No. 1 Justin Rose, fresh off another win at the Farmers Insurance Open. Bryson DeChambeau won the Dubai Desert Classic this weekend and is in the field as well. They will be joined by Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson and more.

Who’s not in the field

Paul Casey, a UNICEF ambassador, spoke out against the event last week and confirmed his intentions not to attend. Last fall, Tiger Woods reportedly turned down a $3.3 million appearance fee, the largest of his career, and declined his invitation to the event. His agent did not comment on why Woods had declined the invitation. Woods hasn’t played an overseas event besides the British Open since the 2017 Dubai Desert Classic, where he withdrew after the first round.

 

What players have said

Justin Rose brushed off the controversy in his winner’s press conference at the Farmers Insurance Open. “Yeah, sure, politics. I’m not a politician, I’m a pro golfer. There’s other reasons to go play it. It’s a good field, there’s going to be a lot of world ranking points to play for, by all accounts it’s a good golf course and it will be an experience to experience Saudi Arabia,” he said.

That echoed the sentiments of Dustin Johnson, who told the AP his reasoning for playing earlier this month. “Obviously, that was a concern with our team,” he said. “I’m going over there to play a sport I’m paid to play. It’s my job to play golf. Unfortunately, it’s in a part of the world where most people don’t agree with what happened, and I definitely don’t support anything like that. I’m going to play golf, not support them.

“I’m not a politician. I play golf.”

DeChambeau kept his comments to golf, too. “I think any time we’re trying to grow the game and expose the game in a positive way, that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said. Nor would Koepka dive any deeper. “I’m not going to get into it. It’s going to be an unbelievable field of golf there. Hopefully, you can spread some goodwill through golf when you’re there.”

Casey explained his reasoning last month while acknowledging the grey areas of other host sites. “There are a lot of places in the world that I have played and continue to go, which you could question … some human rights violations that governments have committed,” he said.  “I thought I’d sit this one out.” He reconfirmed his absence in an Instagram post.

Pelley and the European Tour have lessened their outward excitement about the event in recent months. After crowing about the exciting possibility of bringing golf to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the tour left the Saudi event off its season-opening press release.

Link to article: Click here

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5 tips to help you keep your golf resolutions in 2019

Source: PGA.com
By T.J. Auclair

The new year has arrived and a lot of you golfers out there might be uttering the words, “new year, new me.”

Most of us make New Year’s resolutions and, unfortunately, most of us fail to see them through for all 365 days.

If your resolution involved improving your golf game in 2019, here’s a list of things you can do every day/week — even if you’re in the bitter cold like a lot of folks right now — to help you achieve those goals.

And, once it warms up in your area, you can take all five of these drills outside.

5. Exercise. Yeah, we know. That’s what we should be doing every day anyway, right? But when it comes to golf, you don’t want to be tight. There are a number of stretches you can do right from your desk while reading emails that will benefit your arms, shoulders, neck, back, hips and legs for golf season.

Even better, place one of those handy, elastic, tension bands in the top drawer of your desk.

4. Take 100 swings per day in your house or garage… without a golf ball. The best players in the world visualize the shot they want to hit before they hit it. With a drill like this one, you’re going to be forced to visualize, because there’s no ball there to hit. If you’re able, place a mirror in front of you and pay attention to the positions of your address, takeaway, the top of your swing and impact position as well as follow through. Do it in slow motion. Become an expert on your swing.

3. Work on your chipping. Can’t do it outside? No worries. You can purchase a chipping net, or even put down a hula-hoop as a target. Get a few foam golf balls and a tiny turf mat to hit the balls off of.

Will it produce the same feel as a real golf ball? Of course not. But what it will do is force you to focus on a target and repeat the same motion over and over. After a long layoff, “touch,” is the first thing that goes for all golfers.

This will help you to work on some semblance of touch all winter long.

2. Practice your putting. Anywhere. All you need is a putter, a golf ball, a flat surface and an object — any object — to putt at. If you’re so inclined, rollout turf can be purchased for around $20 with holes cut out.

Since the greens are where you’re going to take most of your strokes, doesn’t it make sense to dial that in whenever possible? It can be fun too. Does your significant other, roommate, or child play? Have regular putting contests.

The feel you gain during those sessions may not seem like much, but man will they come in handy when your season begins on the real grass.

1. Make a weekly appointment with your PGA Professional. Even in areas of the country that are suffering through the cruelest of winter conditions, you can always find a place to hit golf balls inside. Contact your local PGA Professional to find out where places like this in your area exist. You might be surprised at all the options you have.

With your PGA Professional in tow, you can work on your swing throughout the winter months and keep your game sharp. How nice would it be to be on top of your game as soon as the courses in your area open in the spring?

Link to article: Click here

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Try This Swing Thought For Smooth Fairway Woods

Source: GolfDigest
By Rick Smith

f you’re topping your fairway woods or can’t hit them above the tree line, chances are you’re not staying in your address posture when you swing the club. If it makes you feel a little better, it’s a common fault—one that I’m going to help you correct.

Before I give you a simple swing thought to get those shots soaring, let’s talk a little about why you might be struggling to hit a 3-wood off the deck. For most amateurs, it starts with the wrong mind-set.

This is a stressful situation, because it’s not a shot you practice a lot or face more than a handful of times each round. You’re not used to pulling it off, and that lack of positive experience can produce anxiety that results in a bad swing. Another reason you struggle with these shots? You’re trying too hard to rip one high and far down the fairway. Getting home in two on a par 5, or reaching the green on a long par 4, comes from making solid, center-face contact with the ball­—not from swinging full out or trying to add loft to the shot with some body English. So swing your fairway woods without tension, and that includes pace. Don’t rush down from the top of the backswing, and don’t straighten up in the through-swing thinking this will get the ball up. On the contrary, it usually leads to that worm-burner you’re used to hitting.

Posture is the primary culprit for line drives and topped shots. If you think of the club moving along an arc determined by your posture at address, the moment you straighten up, you change the arc. Good luck hitting it in the center of the face when you do that. Things happen too fast to make the necessary adjustments.

So if you’re in need of one swing thought to help flush your next fairway wood, think maintain my address posture through impact. Feel like the ball simply gets in the way of your swing. You’re not hitting at the ball, you’re swinging through the ball.

This thought will improve your mechanics, and clear some of the clutter out of your mind that led to that nervous, clunky, rigid swing. You’ll hit the shot like you’re swinging a wedge.

Rick Smith, a Golf Digest Teaching Professional, recently opened a new academy, the Rick Smith Golf Performance Center at Trump National Doral in Miami.

Link to article: Click here

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Have you booked your wedding venue yet?

We want to make your special day unforgettable. Now, when you book us as your wedding venue by March 8, 2019, & mention our free wedding giveaway, we will enter you into our raffle to get your wedding for free!

Drawing and food tasting to be held in 2019 (TBD).

* See details below for giveaway inclusions.

Giveaway includes 1 entree buffet, 6-hour standard bar, & 2 appetizers.
Value of over $7,200!

* Room rental and Ceremony pricing not included.
*Contest is good for up to 150 guests. Anything over is at our standard pricing (upgrades available).

For details, call us at
(313) 561-1040, Ext. 4

View current pricing on our “Weddings” page!

Weddings

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