By the time this gets posted, I will be on my way to sunny California for the Straight Down Fall Classic golf tournament.

This tournament is held in San Luis Obispo at the San Luis Obispo Country Club. The tournament is a scratch pro-am in which the amateur receives no handicap. My partner is my good friend Joe Hillman, who plays out of Wolf Run and is a very accomplished player. He finished in the top 10 at the State Am this year and has qualified for some USGA national events.

Anyways, this tournament is run just like a PGA Tour event. The tees and greens are roped off, but the gallery can walk right down the fairway with the players. I think this is about my sixth time playing, and each year it just gets better.

I did mention that in the field are touring professionals from all three ranks of the PGA Tour. All in all, there are about 20 or so touring pros who play, and the field this year seems to be really strong. Some of the players entered are Tom Lehman, Jason Gore, Charley Hoffman, Chez Reavie, Ricky Barnes, Dustin Johnson, Matt Hansen, Scott Gutschewski, Roger Tambellini, John Schroeder, Dan Forsman, Scott Simpson, Larry Mize and Jeff Schroeder.

See how I snuck that last name in there after a U.S. Open champion and then a Masters champion?

All kidding aside, this is one of the best and biggest tournaments I play in, and it does get a little nerve-racking on the first tee with a very large gallery watching. Plus they have walking scorers and scoreboards all over the course that let you know how you are doing.

First place in the tournament is worth $25,000 to the professional, and a $10,000 first-place prize is provided to the low PGA Club Professional team.

The tournament is hosted by Straight Down Clothing Company, and Straight Down President Mike Rowley is the host for the weekend. He’s also the defending champion with his playing partner, Roger Tambellini.

The tournament starts with a pro-am on Friday morning, Nov. 14 to thank the members at San Luis Obispo CC (SLO) and the sponsors. The first year they had the pro-am on Friday, Joe Hillman and I teamed up with guys from Straight Down and won the inaugural pro-am. The tournament then starts on Saturday morning and concludes on Sunday.

I am going to take my camera and hopefully get a few pictures of the action. It is really neat to see the community come out and support this tournament. All the proceeds will go to three different charities in San Luis Obispo.

If you want to check out the tournament and what Straight Down is all about, go to their Web site, www.straightdown.com, and see the latest clothing and tournament news.

Wish us luck as we head west to warmer weather and try and bring home some hardware and cash!

Jeff Schroeder

PGA Head Professional

Brickyard Crossing