Liberty Country Club News and Views Vol. 2-2

Upcoming Events:

Monday, May 26         8:00 am   Memorial Day 2 bb

Saturday, May 31        1:30 pm   Campground Challenge

Monday, June 2           6:00 pm   Ladies league begins

Tuesday, June 10        6:00 pm   First Responder League Begins

Wednesday June 11    2 - 6 pm   PING Demo Day

Saturday, June 14        1:30 pm   Parent - Child

Sunday, June 15          8:00 am    Father's Day 2 bb

Sunday, June 15          6:00 pm    Tee Golf Lessons Begin

Saturday, June 21        9:00 am    Scramble to College Fund Raiser

Congratulations to Brian Scott

Congratulations to Brian Scott who won the cart and range pass drawing that was held for those members who paid their dues in full prior to April 15th. Thanks to all those who paid their dues early.

PING Demo Day Wednesday, July 11th  2 to 6 pm

 We will be hosting a PING Demo Day at Liberty on Wednesday evening June 11th. Come out to the course to be fit by folks who do it everyday with the latest in technological equipment. We will also be offering our best prices on equipment purchases that night only.

Monday Night Ladies League

Sign ups are now being taken for the Monday Night Ladies league which begins Monday, June 2nd at 6:00 pm. Each 2 person team must have at least one Liberty Country Club member. We will play a scramble format and use a quota system for handicaps. All skill levels are encouraged to play.

Junior Opportunities

Juniors with Johnny - Tuesdays beginning June 3rd - 8:30 to 10:00 am $5.00 per session fee includes group instruction and lunch.

Junior League - Thursday evenings at 6:00 pm beginning May 29th. Sign up as a 2person team or as an individual. 9-holes of scramble, pizza and fountain drink are included in the $5.00 weekly entry fee.

Contact John Gordon for more details 765-223-0777 or gordopga@gmail.com  

 

Family Friendly Friday and Sunday Nights 

Members and their guests are encouraged to take advantage of our offerings Friday and Sunday evenings after 5 pm.

• $5.00 per Cart Family Cart fee for all you can play
• $13.00 guest green fees
• A new addition to our Sunday evening offerings will be Tee Golf lessons see article below for more information on this beginner lesson program

 

Tee Golf Lessons will be offered most Sunday evenings beginning June 15th

A new lesson program designed to get new players on the course very quickly is being offered this season on Sunday evenings at 6 pm. We believe that after just one lesson, the beginning player will be able to go onto the golf course and enjoy themselves with family or friends. 

We will be using  tee golf (think tee ball for golf) equipment that makes hitting the golf ball 50 to 100 yards every time very easy. As the new player progresses, the player's swing plane will be adjusted so that conventional golf clubs can be used. The instruction will focus on chipping and putting with conventional golf clubs and full swings with the tee golf equipment. All equipment will be provided at no charge for instruction and on course play at Liberty C.C.

Bruce Gregory will be providing the lessons and the cost of each session will be 10 non-perishable food items or $10 all of which will be donated to the Junction Food Bank in College Corner. We will be limited to 8 participants per session and the lessons will continue to be held most Sunday evenings until interest has stopped.

The program is designed for our members and guests who already play golf to bring their spouses and friends out on a Sunday evening, have them receive some basic instruction, and then go play some golf on the course and have fun during our family friendly evening play.

First Responder Tuesday Night League

Sign ups are being taken for a new Tuesday evening league that will begin at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, June 10th. Open to members and non-members, the league will require each two person team to have at least one first responder on the team. A first responder is considered either active or retired firefighters, police officer, medical personnel or power company workers. The format will be scramble your tee shot then alternate shot into the hole with a quota system used for handicapping each team. The league will run 12 weeks ending on August 26th. The Cost of the league will be a one time fee of $20 per person all of which will be returned in the form of cash prizes, food and awards. The nightly cost for carts and green fees if applicable, will be as follows:

First responder - Member                      Free
First responder - Non-Member              $10
Non-First responder - Member              $5
Non-First responder - Non-member       $15

 The Liberty Country Club would like to thank the first responders who serve our communities everyday and hope you will consider joining us on Tuesday evenings this summer.
  

 A Couple of New Games Your Group Might Want to Try

  by Gregor Grund

Trifecta – Exciting New Golf Format

The term trifecta is part of horse racing terminology. It describes a bet in which the bettor must predict which horses will finish first, second and third in exact order. This original meaning has almost nothing to do with the golf game trifecta. In golf you do not want to bet who will win, but simply give points to the top three players on each hole as follows:

• 1st – 6 points
• 2nd – 4 points
• 3rd – 2 points
• 4th – none

The game Trifecta is ideally played in a foursome as a matchplay without any ties. The player with the most points after 18 holes has won the match. This way the last player on each hole will fall behind the most. Use your handicaps to make it an even match between you and your friends. This game can create some exciting times. E. g. when one of your friends has a run and retakes the lead, you will probably get pumped and do anything you can to dethrone him.
I like this game a lot, because individual scores do not matter as much and even players with higher handicaps can threaten the lead. In fact it may be even easier for them. This game once again will teach you how the individual standings of each player will affect your own game, although you are always just playing against the course and yourself. Have a little fun and add some gamesmanship to the mix. Try talking it up on the tee when you are playing last. When it is your turn you play it safe, though.

• Play a round of trifecta with your friends.
• Trifecta is played in matchplay with no ties.

14 Clubs – Extremely Fun Golf Format

This is another fun variety of a regular scramble. 14 Clubs is a fun little game that makes you think about how to attack the course and use your clubs in different ways. You play a regular scramble in teams of two. The kicker is that each team is only allowed to use 14 clubs total and that each club can be used only once on each hole (even the putter).
So you are basically playing out of one bag which you can actually do. You can also remove all but seven clubs from each bag. You are not allowed to take multiple clubs of the same kind with you (no multiple putters or drivers). This way you have to think about your club selection and your course management before every shot you take.
And that is exactly what you should experience with this little game. Because you alternate with your partner and probably have to use different clubs than during your normal rounds, you will think more about your options than you would normally do. This is especially true around the green. Because your team is allowed to use the putter just one time on each hole, you will make your approaches count more.
If your team uses all fourteen clubs on one hole, a special rule applies. Then and only then the team has to use a fall back club that is being chosen by the opposite team. Your team has to use that club for the rest of the hole. That could happen on the long Par 5s or when your team had to take some penalty strokes for example.
After some holes you will probably know the strengths of each player which makes the club selection easier. If you or your partner are good with the fairway woods, you should not waste those clubs for shots you can make in other ways.

• Play a scramble two vs. two. Each team is allowed 14 clubs.
• Each club can be used just once on each hole by your team.
• If all 14 clubs have been used, the opposite team chooses a fall back club that has to be used for the rest of the hole.

Liberty Country Club News and Views Vol. 2 - 1

Membership Specials

Win a Cart and Range Pass!

Pay your 2014 Dues in full by April 15th and you will be entered into a drawing for a cart and range pass, a $185 value. If you have already paid your 2014 dues in full THANK YOU! Your name will also be entered into the drawing. 

If you are unable to pay all of your dues at this time 1/2 of your dues will be due by April 15th with the full payment due by May 15th. After May 15th anyone with an outstanding dues balance will need to pay a green fee to play.

Veterans Membership Special

Veterans who are either new members to the Club or are returning after taking last year off are being offered a one time membership special if they join by Memorial Day, May 26th. We appreciate the service of all veterans and to our current members we ask that you help us in recruiting your fellow service members. By increasing the number of memberships in the Club you will be helping to keep your dues a great golf value.

Veterans, SAL and Auxiliary Members can join the Club in 2014 for $490 for a single membership and $160 for their spouse. If you join as a 4-some with other veteran friends you save another $25 each, making a single membership $465 and a spouse $135. This is a tremendous one time offering we hope you will take advantage of and again, THANK YOU for your service!

Shoulder Season Outing Pricing

We pride ourselves in the service we provide to groups who play in golf outings at the Liberty Country Club. For a limited time, we are offering an outing special for groups who join us before June 1st or after October 1st. For just $22 ($10 for LCC members) your group of 20 or more will have your cart and green fees covered and our help in making your event a memorable one for all. We will assist you from the initial planning to scoring the event and anything in between that you may need assistance with. We have assisted in literately hundreds of events and would like to help you with yours.  Please contact Bruce Gregory for more information or to book your group.  

 

Opening Day

Men's opening day will be Saturday, April 19th with a 2-man scramble format. Look for more information at the clubhouse. The Ladies Wednesday morning group will start the 2014 season on April 30th.

 

BBQ, Bogeys, and Beer

In addition to our Family Friendly Friday nights where members can rent a family golf cart for $5 after 

5:00 pm. We will be offering a $20 family package that includes cart rental and  food ( BBQ plates as often as possible), and beverage of choice for up to 2 adults and 2 kids. Members, bring your family out for some golf on Friday nights this season and take advantage of a great family recreational value. More information on this, and a new Slow Play Sunday beginner lesson package will be coming soon.

 

Passing of Glade Montgomery

  Long time Pro-Manager and friend of the Liberty Country Club, Glade Montgomery, passed away this past winter in Florida. Glade, along with past superintendent Chuck Frasur and many member volunteers were responsible for adding the 2nd nine holes at Liberty in the early 1970's. Glade was active in the Club as a member in the early 1950's before serving the Club for 31 years as pro-manager prior to his retirement in 1986. A memorial event will be held sometime this summer. Please look for details in future newsletters and in signage at the Club.

 

 

Controlling Wedge Distances - The Wedge Guy

Developing the ability to hit accurate scoring shots– and dial in your distance within 2-3 yards most of the time – will make anyone’s scoring much better in a hurry.  And I call the ‘scoring shots’ all those made with your clubs over 40* of loft, which will include your 9-iron.  

1.  Many golfers try to hit their scoring clubs too far.  A “full” shot with a scoring club is made with much less effort than a “full” shot with a middle-iron or hybrid.  That reduced swing speed allows you to better control the trajectory, which in turn makes the distance more consistent.  If you hit these high, ballooning wedge and short iron shots, you will never get consistent on your distance.  Work on your swing pace, tempo and power application.  Throttle back and you will see your trajectories come down and distance control improve significantly.  You’ll also see that accuracy improve.
2. Many get too “hands-y” with these shots.  As you move into the shorter clubs, that are used for precision shotmaking, you must quiet your hand action and control the swing more with the body core, the big muscles.  They are less likely to “twitch” and manipulate the clubface.  What you are after in the scoring clubs is a controlled swing that repeats reliably.   To really understand what I’m talking about, watch this Steve Stricker video — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic5EljdJWUQ — and pay attention to the extreme simplicity of his move back and through the ball.  Watch it over and over and over and over . . .  And watch this one to learn what is really going in Steve’s technique — http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=HAaLWGGDj2A&NR=1
3. Take Dead Aim.  This was the famous advice of the legendary Harvey Penick.   It applies on every shot, but is even more important on your precision scoring shots, where you want the ball to fly to a very precise spot and end up close to the hole.  The Mel Gibson movie, “The Patriot”, offered a bit of golf advice in the early scenes, where he reminds his young boys to “aim small, miss small”.  I’ve referenced that before.  When hitting scoring club approach shots, really fine-tune your aim to a specific point, whether the flag or a spot just left or right, short or long of it.

And the BONUS tip?  P-R-A-C-T-I-C-E.  You have to spend time on the range perfecting your scoring club technique.  You have to hit hundreds . . . no, thousands . . . of shots with your scoring clubs to get good with them.  And don’t just mindlessly pound balls into oblivion.  Pick targets . . . different targets . . . and hit shots to them.  Build little groupings of golf balls at various distances.  This is the precise part of the game, and you’ll get out of it what you put into it.
One final note on getting great with your scoring clubs.  If it’s important to you that you can hit a pitching wedge over about 125-130, then you’ll not likely ever get that good with these short clubs.
They are not meant to be hit that hard.

And finally, the News we have all been waiting for:

Winter likely to keep a frigid grip on Indiana into late March

Article from: Purdue Agriculture News (2/27/2014)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Despite a couple of recent mild weather days that made us think spring could be near, the Indiana State Climate Office says winter isn't going away anytime soon.
While it isn't abnormal in Indiana for snow and cold temperatures to linger into mid-March, current weather models suggest spring weather might not move in until even later.

"A few days with temperatures in the 50s and 60s might have led us to believe spring is right around the corner," said Ken Scheeringa, associate state climatologist for the Indiana State Climate Office based at Purdue University.

"Not so fast," he quickly added. "The snow and cold of winter usually continues into the first half of March. Based on the latest weather outlook, it could even persist late into the month."

Monthly and seasonal weather outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center show a colder-than-normal, but mostly dry start to March. The cold trend is likely to continue throughout the month, but forecasters are less certain about precipitation later in March.

Moving on to spring, the outlook calls for a slight chance of a colder-than-normal spring in northern Indiana and wetter-than-normal conditions in the southern part of the state.

Early March temperatures in Indiana typically range from 40 degrees in the north to 50 degrees in the south and increase toward the end of the month to a range of mid-50s in the north to the mid-60s in the south. March precipitation normally varies from about 2.5 inches in far northern Indiana to about 4.2 inches in the far southwest.

If winter weather sticks around later than normal, farmers antsy to start planting their corn and soybean crops might have to wait a little bit longer for optimal planting conditions, including soil temperatures of at least 50 degrees at seeding depth.

But according to Purdue Extension corn specialist Bob Nielsen, while a colder March could affect planting dates, the bulk of the state's farmers don't get serious about planting corn until the third week of April. That means weather in early April is likely to influence planting far more heavily than the weather in March.

"The fact that March is colder than normal might or might not impact planting dates, depending on how cold we're talking," he said. "But if we get to a point where it looks like planting might be delayed, it's important to remember that planting date is only one of many factors that influence crop yields."
As an example, Nielsen compared the 2012 cropping year, when farmers planted one of the earliest crops on record before drought decimated yields, with the 2013 cropping year, which started off with delayed planting and ended with above-trendline yields.

In Indiana, the earliest dates farmers can plant corn and still be eligible for crop insurance are April 1 in southern Indiana, April 5 in central and April 10 in northern. Soybean dates are April 15 in southern Indiana, April 20 in central and April 24 in northern. That means farmers have much more time to wait and see how the weather actually plays out.

Forecasters will continue to watch long-range weather models, which Scheeringa said take into account global weather signals, including storm activity in the far west Pacific, surface ocean temperatures and conditions over North America. So far, water temperatures are normal in the Pacific Ocean with a lack of El Niño - a rise in surface water temperatures near the Equator - and La Niña - a drop in surface water temperatures in the same region.

"Neutral El Niño and La Niña ocean patterns are expected to continue as non-players in the spring forecast," Scheeringa said. "But storm activity in the western Pacific should impact the path of the jet stream in the eastern Pacific and over North America. The path would re-establish the old dominant winter pattern of warm conditions in western states and unusual cold east of the Rocky Mountains."

Writer: Jennifer Stewart, 765-494-6682, jsstewar@purdue.edu

Source: Ken Scheeringa, 765-494-8105, kens@purdue.edu
Bob Nielsen, 765-494-4802, rnielsen@purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Keith Robinson, robins89@purdue.edu
Agriculture News Page