Category — Message From The Pro

Billy McBride III, PGA Professional

The start of the season is here.  The grass has healed from the spring aerification.  Basically, it is time to play golf.  I challenge each and every member out here to play as much golf as they can.  You will not find a better looking course within the Roanoke Valley, if not within the state of Virginia.

FROM THE PRO SHOP
We are filling The Westlake Pro Shop every day with new equipment and apparel.  Look for our specials on different manufactures, as we spotlight a different line of equipment every month.  In May, we will feature the Acushnet line of golf equipment, which includes the Titleist, Cobra, and Foot Joy brands.  Check the Pro Shop for discounts on all Acushnet equipment throughout the month of May.

LESSONS
Would you like to spend the rest of the year enjoying your game instead of wondering “what could I have done to fix my swing?”  What a great time to get into the swing of things by taking a lesson.  We have a variety of lessons available for whatever may be “ailing” your game and help you “cure” it.  Bill and I are available for lessons and we would be happy to get your swing on track.  Just give one of us a call and you will be on the way to better golf.

 CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations go out to Johnny McCall for winning the Taylor Made Spring Opener Special Edition Staff Bag during Master’s Weekend.  Johnny bought one of the last squares available and turned that into the winner.  Thanks to everyone that bought a square.

The 2010 Junior Camp dates have been set and the forms are in the Pro Shop.  This year we will have Junior Camps on the following dates:

JUNIOR GOLF CAMPS
Session 1 is June 14 – 18 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Session 2 is July 12 – 16 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. The age groups for the camps are 7 – 12 years old and the cost will stay at $125 per junior.  This is a great opportunity for juniors to be introduced to the game of golf or to refresh what they have learned before.

Junior Golf Camp

By: Billy McBride III, PGA Professional

As I look out the window of the Westlake Pro Shop, all I can see green grass and after two plus months of snow, a welcome sight. The golf course is starting to come out of its Winter shell. The only thing I have not seen is cars in the parking lot. Hopefully with the changes in the economy (looking better and better as of 3-12-10), we will see everyone coming out and enjoying the golf course.

PRO SHOP

All the new equipment and apparel are starting to flow into The Westlake Pro Shop. This year you will see new clubs from Callaway, Cobra, Mizuno, Nike, Ping, Taylor Made, and Titleist. On the apparel side, we have new offerings from Cutter & Buck, Foot Joy, Page & Tuttle, and Mizuno.

Also on the club front, we just received the Mizuno Shaft Optimizer and Club Fitting System.  This piece of equipment measures your swing to find the proper shaft for your swing. Add this to the club fitting measurements of lie and length and you have a perfect fit for your swing.  Make sure you set up some time to see what shaft would be best fit for your swing.

Make sure you check out our new prices on our merchandise.  I have decided to be as competitive as I can with the merchandise and would say that you would be hard pressed to find lower prices.  As always, if you see anything golf related that I do not have in the Pro Shop, just let me know and I will see about getting it in here or find something equivalent for you. 

TRADE IN YOUR CLUBS

If you are interested in getting new clubs this year, I would invite you to go to PGA.com and click on the Trade Your Clubs Icon on the left side. There you can find out the value of your current club(s), trade them in to the PGA and get a gift certificate that would be good at The Westlake Pro Shop for your new set.  This is a great way to get a little value from your old clubs and to reduce the total cost of your new clubs.  Just let me know if you have any questions.

AERIFICATION

Here is that nasty word again.  Aerification is a necessary evil that we need to do at least twice a year to improve drainage in the ground and remove any unnecessary film and thatch that build up on the ground.  This year’s Spring aerification is planned to begin on April 5th (a little earlier than last year).   The golf course will still be open to play on the days that the maintenance crews are working on the aerification process.  I just ask that you be patient with the greens during this process and everything will be just like it was or even better about a week after aerification. 

CARTS

For the protection of our cart staff, members and guests of The Westlake, we are asking that the carts be brought back in at least a half hour before dark.  The Pro Shop will start posting the proper times for carts to be back and we ask everyone to help us keep with this policy.  With no lights on the carts and cart paths that cross the roads, it is dangerous for the carts to be out after dark.  The Westlake Pro Shop thanks you for you cooperation with this policy.

By: Billy McBride III, PGA Professional

This year has not started the way I would like to see it.  January and February were not very good for the golf business with all the snow and being cold.  But there is a light at the end of the “snow covered” dark tunnel in the form of SPRING.  The Westlake Pro Shop is always here to help you with your golfing needs.  Let’s hope the rest of the year will bring you out to the golf course more often.

DEMO DAY

This year the Westlake Demo Day will be held on Thursday, March 25, 2010 from 2:00—6:00 p.m.  All the major golf companies are planning to be here and I will have a full list of companies as the date approaches.  If you are interested in new clubs, this is the best time to decide what is best for you.  In addition to trying the clubs, I will be available for club fitting to make sure the clubs that you choose will fit your swing.

LESSONS

What a great time to get into the swing of things by taking a lesson.  Both Bill and I are available for lessons and we would be happy to get your swing on track.  Wouldn’t you like to spend the rest of the year enjoying your game instead of wondering “what could I have done to fix my swing?”  You have a variety of lessons available for what ever is ailing your golf game and we can adjust lessons to help you cure your golf game.  Just give one of us a call and you will be on the way to better golf.

THANK YOU

Tara and I would like to thank everyone for their kind words and gifts we received since the news of our new addition Liam came to our lives.  Liam is growing like a weed and smiles everyday.  I can’t wait to get him out on the golf course (even though that might be a few years away).

JUNIOR CAMPS

As of this writing, I am working on the dates for the 2010 The Westlake Junior Camps.  As in years before, I will have one in June and one in late July or early August.  The schedules will be out around the time you receive this Navigator.  If you have a young one that would like to start learning the game of golf, this is the perfect avenue to take.

TOURNAMENTS

The Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame will be having their annual Hall of Fame Pro-Am on April 19th.  This year the Pro-Am will be held at Ballyhack in Roanoke.  This Pro-Am is open to anyone and you can form your own three person team.  You will then be paired with one of the area PGA Golf Professionals to fill out the four person team.  The cost of the Pro-Am will be $175 per player and will include golf on the 19th, cocktail and pairing party on the 18th, refreshments during the tournament, and prizes.  If anyone is interested in forming a three person team, please call me at the Pro Shop.

William (Liam) Eldridge McBride IV was born Friday, November 27th at 8:38am.  He weighed 6 lbs 4 ounces and was 18 ¾ inches long.  

I am sure most of you are ready to turn the page on 2009 and move into the new decade with a new outlook.  I would like to make The Westlake the premier Golf Course and Country Club it should be.  As always if you have any questions or comments for The Westlake Pro Shop, feel free to call me at 721-4214 or email me at golfjedi4@aol.com.  

GOLF ASSOCIATIONS

Both the Westlake Men’s and Ladies’ Golf Associations are busy finalizing their 2010 schedules.  The Associations will be filled with a number of tournaments that will be challenging and enjoyable for all.  For more information on joining one of the Westlake’s Golf Associations, please call the pro shop and we will connect you with the chairperson of the Association you would like to join.

FROM THE PRO SHOP

We are continuing to fill up the Westlake Pro Shop with new and interesting golf equipment and apparel.  We will continue to stock only the top of the line golf inventory.  This year we will have items from Callaway, Cutter & Buck, Nike, Foot Joy, Titleist, Mizuno, Ping, Page & Tuttle, and Cobra.  If there is anything that you would like to see in the Westlake Pro Shop, contact me and we can see what we can get in. 

 SAVE-THE-DATE!

Mark on your calendars for March 25th.  On that day, we will have our 5th Annual Westlake/SML Demo Day.  This is a day to try equipment, if you are interested in buying new clubs.  This year we are inviting some of the apparel companies to bring their 2010 lines for your viewing pleasure.  I will have signs and flyers as the day comes of who will be here and discounts on equipment for that day.

HANDICAPS

Just a reminder, The Westlake Handicap System will be on throughout the year.  If you play in Virginia or anywhere that considers itself a year round golf course, you are to post that score on the handicap computer.  The Westlake Handicap System is available at a charge of $30 for members and $36 for non members (if you pay before February 1, 2010, we will take $5 off your charge).  Starting January 1, 2010, your handicap number will not work unless you pay your dues.  Once the dues are paid your handicap number will work as normal.

To post a score, you can either give a Westlake Shop Attendant your card (just make sure you put your full name, tees you played from, and the date on the card) or take your card home and post online at www.vsga.org. 

Just remember, a handicap is formulated to even out each player by their ability.  This means that if you played the best player in the world and you had a legitimate handicap you would be able to give him/her a fair match.  Just to give you an example, at this year’s Men’s Westlake Shootout the final two competitors had handicaps from the opposite side of the spectrum.  After the shoot out was over I looked at their scorecard and both of them shot the same net score.  This proves that with a legitimate handicap you can play with and against anyone.

By: Billy McBride III, PGA Professional

Here we are at the last month of 2009.  It is hard to believe the year has already passed so quickly.  There should be a couple days left to get a few final rounds in 2009 so make your way to the course as soon as you can.  I would like to thank everyone that has made 2009 a good year for the Westlake and for the Westlake Pro Shop.

The Westlake Pro Shop wishes you and your family the best over the holiday season and we will see you in 2009.

Men’s Shoot Out and Final Tournament and Dinner

The Men’s Shoot Out for the Westlake Cup was held on November 1st with Wayne Pyrtle defeating Don Wilson in a chip off on the final hole.  Wayne escaped a couple of early chip offs and held off all the strokes that were given to everyone else to win this year’s Shoot Out.  Everyone had a good time at this unique event that has one person eliminated on every hole until there is only one person left.  The following is the hole by hole results:

Hole #1 Jim Perry eliminated

Hole #2 Tim Wheeler eliminated

Hole #3 Brent Babb eliminated
(lost in chip off with Wayne Pyrtle)

Hole #4 Troy Lester eliminated

Hole #5 Frank Davis eliminated

Hole #6 Rick Carroll eliminated

Hole #7 Keith Hartman eliminated

Hole #8 Matt Hartberger eliminated
(lost in chip off with Wayne Pyrtle
and Don Wilson)

Hole #9 Wayne Pyrtle defeats Don Wilson in chip off

Before the Shoot Out, we had a Net Tournament with the players that did not make the Shoot Out.  Jim Collins came out on top with a net score of 70.  Eleven players came out and enjoyed the early afternoon tournament and then came out to watch the final few holes of the Shoot Out.

First Place Jim Collins 70

T – Second Place Floyd Strelow 72

T – Second Place Lee Roberts 72

T – Second Place Johnny Lloyd 72

Next year’s schedule will be produced over the winter and should be out in early January during the Men’s Winter Meeting and Social.  If you weren’t an association member this year, please check with the pro shop or one of the Men’s Golf Association Committee Members to sign up for 2009.

GIFT CERTIFICATES—Just a reminder, all Westlake Men’s Golf Association Gift Certificates expire at the end of the year.  Make sure you redeem your certificates before the end of the year, because January 1, 2010 they will not be accepted in the Pro Shop.

CHRISTMAS SPECIALS—Remember Christmas is only a few weeks away.  Check in the Pro Shop for discounts on all in stock merchandise through the month for a quick and easy gift for Christmas.  WE WILL HAVE NEW SPECIALS THOUGHOUT DECEMBER. Also, you still have a few days left if you want to order anything for Christmas.  As long as you order before December 10th, the product should be here by Christmas.

GRIPS AND SPIKES—Just another reminder, check your grips and spikes over the winter.  If they need to be replaced, just let Bill or I know and we will change your grips or your spikes as quickly as we can.  If we do not stock the grips you want, we will order the ones you want or find something equal to what you want.  These two items are usually overlooked but are an important part of playing good golf.

PACE OF PLAY—Just a reminder to keep a good pace of play when you play The Westlake by following these easy rules:

1. Keep up with the group in front of you and don’t hold up the group behind.

2. Keep conversation during play to a minimum.  Hold lectures until after play.

3. Know what to hit before you get to your ball by taking extra clubs if needed.

4. Let faster players through.  It is not a rule, but it is proper etiquette.

5. Play ready golf.  When it is your turn to play, please play.