Brian Prouty of Tucson parlayed an eagle on the par-5 15th hole of the CasaBlanca Golf Course en route to a 9-under 63 and a three-round 197 in the $72,000 Nevada Open golf tournament, held Dec. 8-10 in Mesquite.
Golf
A pitch shot is a high-lofted shot that lands softly on the green and has very little roll. The clubs that should be used for this shot are the pitching wedge, sand wedge or lob wedge.
Q. If a player’s ball is half on the fringe and the fringe is cut high so that the other half of the ball is overhanging the green but not actually touching the green, is the ball considered on the green? — Moondog
Last week, 120 of Southern Nevada’s most accomplished golfers descended upon Las Vegas’ Mayberry-esque neighbor, Boulder City, to test their skills and vie for the Southern Nevada Golf Association’s Clark County Amateur Championship. The course selected to separate the contenders from the pretenders was Boulder Creek Golf Club, a top-shelf facility featuring 27 challenging holes.
What will improve your golf game the most, instruction or coaching?
Q. I was at the girls state championship in October and saw a player call you over because she was standing on a cart path and wanted relief. I then saw that she ended up making the shot while still standing on the path. Why didn’t you grant her relief? — Concerned Father
UNLV men’s golf coach Dwaine Knight saw his team have a fantastic fall, with victories in its opening and closing tournaments, along with the emergence of sophomore Derek Ernst.
Jimmie Bullard doesn’t have a leg to stand on right now. But in a few weeks, he’ll surely be a stand-up guy when he’s officially inducted into the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame.
Q. A friend asked me for a ruling last week, which I gave her and now I am checking with you to see if I gave her the correct ruling. She was walking, pulling a cart and accidentally moved her ball, which was lying on the cart path. I told her that I thought she had to replace the ball and take a penalty stroke. She could then take cart path relief if she wanted it. Was I right? — SB
In the aftermath of a scintillating PGA Championship at which a journeyman pro from Korea became the first man to knock Tiger Woods off his throne during the final round of a major, it is only fitting to profile the TPC Las Vegas — known by many locals simply as “The Canyons.”
How do you rescue a fledgling golf game anyway? Buy a new driver and start crushing your drives? Listen to all the tips your friends and families are eager to give you? Buy a new putter?
With dozens of Southern Nevada golf courses vying for the business of today’s cost-conscious players, it might seem like bare-bones facilities would have a distinct advantage. Silverstone Golf Club, however, has turned that notion on its ear, positioning itself as an affordable but all-inclusive golf outing.
Q. Do I always get relief from a staked tree? I know you’ve answered this question before but the girls I play with won’t believe me unless they see it in writing. — Carolyn Reiner
As golfers we are always searching for ways to lower our scores. There are many ways to accomplish this but the quickest and, in my opinion, the best way is to spend more time practicing on your short game.