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A sneak peek at what the competitors will face – and what the galleries will enjoy – at the Nordea Scandinavian Masters, is available at a special slide show featuring Robert Trent Jones II’s Bro Hof Slott Golf Club Stadium Course, near Stockholm (images by photographer Ulf Berglund and Lenart Hyse).

RTJ II worked collaboratively with owner Bjorn Oras to design a spectator-friendly championship venue that provides great viewing points.  In several locations, spectators can stay in one place and watch the action on two different greens and two sets of tees.

Bro Hof is the longest course RTJ II has designed – it can be stretched to nearly 8,000 yards to challenge the European PGA Tour players, who will compete July 22-25 on the scenic setting on a great fjord (Lake Mälaren).

Much like on the back nine at Augusta, the closing holes of the Stadium Course at Bro Hof were designed to create drama – particularly at holes 17 and 18, which Oras has nicknamed “Victory Valley.”  The 17th, featuring an island green, should cause some changes on the leader board, while the home hole has the flexibility to be set up as a drivable par 4.  The action will conclude in an amphitheater setting built to accommodate 70,000 spectators.

The on-site castle previously utilized by Swedish royalty now serves as the elegant clubhouse, and is the inspiration for the name of a new RTJ II layout opening on at Bro Hof this year: the Castle Course.

Anyone who watched the U.S. Open Championship on television, particularly HDTV, probably thought the greens at Pebble Beach Golf Links were dead.  And if you listened to several complaining competitors, you would think the situation was "awful."  It was not.  Contrary to some opinions, every square inch of greens does not have to be green to be a championship putting surface.

Here is some perspective from Pat Gross, USGA Green Section Southwest Region Director, in a letter to USGA members:

Some television and on-site viewers who observed the greens at Pebble Beach Golf Links at the 110th U.S. Open Championship may have asked why they did not look like the emerald green putting surfaces everyone has come to know at Pebble Beach.

The mutual goal of the USGA and Pebble Beach was to provide firm, smooth and fast putting greens to test the skills of the best players. Cosmetics and appearance were not high on the priority list. ... When the greens were maintained on the dry and firm side, significant color differences became more apparent.

The U.S. Open is not about cosmetics; it's about providing a challenging and rigorous test to identify the best player. Producing a cosmetically attractive golf course would have been the easy task: a little more water, a touch of fertilizer, and we would have had green, pretty putting greens and soft conditions, but that was not the goal. ... Dry, firm greens require nearly perfect shots to keep the ball on the putting surface.

Following the championship on Monday, I viewed Pebble Beach greens that were well on their way back to normal following a little drink of water. They looked great and will continue to provide outstanding enjoyment for golfers who want to see how their game holds up on one of golf's greatest courses.

You would never guess how dead serious Charlie King is about golf instruction.  Part maverick, part genius, he’ll do just about anything to get your attention.

 Like teach you the proper way to throw your club into the ocean.  Really.  He did that.  And got a gazillion hits on YouTube.

“I don’t care if I look like a numbskull,” Charlie says, “if I can get the discussion going on how to make it less confusing to learn to play golf.”

You gotta love a guy who calls himself a “numbskull.”

Recognized as one of the top golf instructors in the country, King, who is director of the Reynolds Golf Academy, is determined to change the way the game is taught, as well as how it is learned.

“When I start talking about what’s not right, what needs to change, and I get ‘up there on my soap box,’ I sound like I am running for office,” Charlie says.

Hence, his latest “campaign” – Charlie King For President of Golf Instruction.

Granted, he is running for an office that does not exist.  And, technically, there is no race to run.  No matter.  While King may be innovative in his methods of getting golfers’ attention, he is equally intense in his approach to serious --  and somewhat revolutionary -- success-oriented golf instruction.

For the tour pro and average Joe alike, when it's time for a real fix for your golf game, you need to "Join The Revolution" ... and don't forget to vote "King for President."

You can "smoke" a new driver and a freshly rolled cigar at the same timeat the Grand Demo Day, Saturday June 5 at Grand Cypress Resort.

This exclusive and complimentary 4-hour showcase will feature new products from throughout the golf industry, including the golf lifestyle, like no other in the region.

Participating equipment vendors such as Ping, TaylorMade, Mizuno, Callaway, Nike, Wilson, Cleveland, as well as Adidas Shoes, LoudMouth Apparel will all be on hand.  So will a personal cigar roller from Prestige Cigars, who will show you how to really get things rolling on the golf course.

Grand Cypress has even reserved tee times for participants at a special 18-hole rate of $49, so some of that new gear might be put into play in the afternoon.

The main driving range at the Golf Academy of Grand Cypress (photo above) will serve as the venue for the Grand Demo Day.

For more details, contact Jeremy Craft at Grand Cypress Golf Club, at (407) 239-1920 and jcraft@benchmarkmanagement.com.  For additional information about the Villas of Grand Cypress and Grand Cypress Resort, call (877) 330-7376 or visit www.grandcypress.com.

Congratulations to three HPR associates for their inclusion on the new Golfweek magazine list of Best Muncipal Courses in the USA (2009-2010) -- Robert Trent Jones II Golf Architects for Chambers Bay and Thunderhawk, John Fought for Indian Wells (Players Course), and the City of San Antonio's historic Brackenridge Park (pictured above). 

Chambers Bay, site of this year's U.S. Amateur in University Place, Wash.,  is No. 2 on the list; the Indian Wells course is No. 7; Thunderhawk, in Beach Park, Ill., is No. 12; and "Old Brack" -- the oldest course on the list, built in 1915 -- is ranked No. 50.

The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain, host of the annual Accenture Match Play Championship, is Arizona’s leader on the new list of “Tour Courses You Can Play” by Golfweek magazine.

The Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course that debuted only 16 months ago is ranked No. 17 on the list of 50 courses from throughout the United States that host events on the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour.  The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain was one of three courses in Arizona on the list, but the only one in the Top 25.

Previously, The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain was recognized by Golfweek on its list of “Best New Courses” (2009) and “Best Resort Golf Courses” (2010).

Just a quick update on James Hahn (above), who made a great impression on everyone at our Fresh Express Classic Media Day on March 16:

Having never played in a Nationwide Tour event prior to this year, Hahn has made the cut in all five 2010 events (T9, T21, T51, T15 and T5).  That puts him 13^th on the money list ($51,892) coming into the Fresh Express Classic at TPC Stonebrae, April 15-18.  The Nationwide Tour is idle until then.

For Hahn, 28, who was born in Seoul, South Korea, and now lives in Alameda, the Fresh Express Classic will be a “home game.”  Not only does he practice and play at TPC Stonebrae when not on the road, but he is a Cal grad (2003) who played on the Golden Bears golf team.  Since then he occasionally has juggled several jobs at once to make ends meet, but now can focus solely on his golf career.

While it’s far too early to predict, Hahn’s earnings to date put him approximately one-quarter of the way toward making the Top 25 on the final money list, which would secure an exemption to the PGA TOUR for 2011.  (Last year the 25^th player earned $191,467.)

Stay tuned ...

The No. 1-ranked Oklahoma State men’s golf team lived up to its billing, as did Alabama sophomore Bud Cauley, as they captured the team and individual titles of the 5^th annual Linger Longer Invitational at The Landing at Reynolds Plantation.

Cauley (in photo above), who opened the 54-hole tournament with an electrifying 8-under-par 64, finished just as strong, playing the final five holes 3-under, including a key eagle on the par-5 14^th hole, for a 67.  That gave the all-American from Jacksonville, Fla., a total of 204, a career-low for 54 holes and a six-shot victory.

Oklahoma State teammates Kevin Tway, a junior from Edmond, Okla., and Sean Einhaus, a freshman from Germany, shot were second and third, respectively, at 210 and 214.  Tway also closed with a 67.

“When he is on – and he was at this tournament – he is really hard to beat,” Alabama coach Jay Seawell said of Cauley, who went 3-0-1 last summer in the Walker Cup and in the 2008 U.S. Amateur knocked off Ricky Fowler, who at the time ranked No. 1 in the world.   “He came out and almost put it away on the first day,” Seawell said, “and then, as always, he finished strong.”

Leading by three shots going into the final round, Cauley saw Tway (in the group ahead of him) play the first six holes 6-under to pull within two shots.  Later, again up by three with five holes to play, Cauley’s eagle on the 14^th put him back up by five, as he wrapped up his third collegiate win and the second this spring.  Cauley also climbed to No. 2 in the national rankings, behind Georgia’s Russell Henley, who finished tied for 10^th.

Like Cauley, the Cowboys led from wire-to-wire, holding off a final-round charge by Alabama to win by only two strokes overall, with a total of 865 (best 4 of 5 scoring).  As the Crimson Tide shot 283, 5-under-par for the final round, Oklahoma State closed with a solid, 2-under-par 286.  Texas A&M placed third at 874, with Georgia Tech and defending champion Georgia tied for fourth at 879.

Co-hosted by Kennesaw State and Mercer University, the Linger Longer Invitational featured six of the nation’s top-25 ranked teams competing over three days on the first golf course built on Georgia’s Lake Oconee.  The Bob Cupp design, a par 72 set up to 7,005 yards for the tournament, played to a scoring average of 76.19 for 54 holes.

Proving that 15^th seeds can, indeed, win it all in March, the University of New Mexico men’s golf team captured the championship of the Callaway Golf Collegiate Match Play Championship, which finished today at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain.

The “Cinderella” Lobos, nearly the lowest seed in the 16-team field, needed to go “overtime” in the title match against the 8^th-seeded Southern California.  New Mexico freshman John Catlin made a par on the 19^th hole to win his match against Trojan freshman Martin Trainer, for a 3-2 Lobo victory.  The teams split the other four matches in the finals.

The event was played on the Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course (pictured above) that hosts the annual Accenture Match Play Championship.

Complete results are available at www.golfstat.com

How does 3 + 6 + 8 = 1?

Well, according to Golfweek magazine, the No. 1 place in Georgia to play golf must be Reynolds Plantation, with three of its courses named to the 2010 "Top 10" public access courses in the state:

No 3. Reynolds Plantation (Great Waters)
No 6. Reynolds Plantation (Oconee)
No 8. Reynolds Plantation (National)

Central Coast California-based Fresh Express has agreed to serve as the title sponsor of the East Bay Area’s only PGA TOUR-sanctioned event, the Fresh Express Classic at TPC Stonebrae, a Nationwide Tour event.

As previously announced, the tournament will be held April 12-18, 2010 at TPC Stonebrae, located atop the rugged East Bay hillside overlooking San Francisco Bay. The field of 144 plays 72 holes of stroke play, with all four rounds to be televised live by Golf Channel.

NFL legend Jerry Rice, newly named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will serve as tournament host and the Jerry Rice 127 Foundation has been named as the “primary receiver” of the charitable proceeds generated by the annual event. An accomplished golfer, Rice has also received a sponsor’s exemption to compete against the Nationwide Tour pros.

NOTE: Media Day for the tournament is March 16, 2010 at TPC Stonebrae.  For more details, contact Ed Vyeda at 831-375-1747 or evyeda@hunter-pr.com

Posting a solid victory on the Hooters Tour’s Carolina Winter Series, Brian Bergstol, the touring pro who represents Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort, already has his 2010 season off to a good start.

Bergstol won the third event of the series, finishing at 13 under par for 54 holes at Meadowlands Golf Club in Calabash, N.C.  With rounds of 70-67-66, Bergstol shot 203 to win by three strokes.

 “I am getting my confidence and putting together a full tournament,” said Bergstol, who said he plans to play in all of the remaining nine events in the series, which continues through February.  The top five money-leaders in the series earn full exemptions to the 2010 Hooters Tour.  Bergstol’s win was worth $3,500 and put him atop the series money list through two events.

 Bergstol, who turns 25 in January, is home in Mount Bethel until he returns to the series next week.  He recently missed advancing through the PGA Tour Qualifying School, but the young pro hopes to return the main Hooters Tour, gain more experience and make another run at Q School a year from now.

 “Turning pro was a big thing for me,” said Bergstol, a small-school product who starred at Moravian College from 2004-2007.  “I had to learn how to deal with the pressure and to focus on playing the game, not what the cut is going to be.  I have to trust that I am good enough to compete.  It takes time to adjust to all of that.”

Former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice talks about being the new host of the Stonebrae Classic, a Nationwide Tour event in Hayward, Calif., as well as teeing it up as a pro in the event.  Rice, 46, who is expected to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010, has aspirations of playing on the PGA TOUR.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1AVdpHTU6A

HPR has been part of many great projects over the years, so we knew from experience that we had some winners on our hands recently. 

 And we’re happy to see that Golfweek magazine agrees, naming several of our clients’ projects to the list of 40 courses on the “2008-09 Golfweek’s Best: New Courses” (Oct.17, 2009 issue).

 Robert Trent Jones II -- Rainmakers Golf Club, New Mexico (No. 3)

The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain -- Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course (No. 11)

John Fought -- Sand Hollow Golf Club, Utah (No. 18)

Stonebrae Classic -- TPC San Francisco Bay at Stonebrae (No. 21)

From runway to fairway in 10 minutes

Few places can beat the City of San Antonio for superb -- and really convenient -- golf courses from the airport. Whether you just landed at San Antonio International and canââât wait to play, or happen to have an extended layover and just want to get out of the terminal, there are a dozen great golfing options nearby:

10 minutes away

• The Quarry (3.5 miles)
• Silverhorn Golf Club (4 miles)
• Olmos Basin (4 miles)
• Fort Sam Houston (6.5 miles)
• Northern Hills (7 miles)
• Brackenridge Park (7.5 miles)

15 minutes away

• Club at Sonterra (9.5 miles)
• Willow Springs (10.5 miles)

20 minutes away

• Canyon Springs (14 miles)
• La Cantera (14.5 miles)
• Pecan Valley (15 miles)
• The Republic (16 miles)