The Indy 500 is in the books, and congrats to Helio and Team Penske. It is back to golf here at the Brickyard, with a few events here in the next week or so.
A new event here at the Brickyard was completed this week, the Brickyard Crossing Senior Series hosted by Rollie Schroeder, our pro emeritus. This will be a monthly tournament for seniors to compete for prizes. More information on these events can be found at the Web site, www.brickyardseniorgolfseries.com.
The PGA Tour this week is in Texas at the Colonial, the Nationwide is in Raleigh, N.C., where we have couple of players with Brickyard ties competing. Chad Collins is back out on the road as you know if you have read his blog this week, and our old friend Jim Gallagher Jr. also is playing this week. Jim usually comes up for the race but called and said he was playing this week and wanted to stay home and practice. Another Hoosier professional on the Nationwide Tour, Craig Bowden from Bedford, stopped by last week to watch the Indy 500.
Our men’s and ladies’ clubs here at the Brickyard are in full swing with their seasons. The ladies played Wednesday, May 27, and the men have an event Saturday, May 30. If you would like more information on our clubs, visit our Web site at www.brickyardcrossing.com or give us a call at (317) 492-6572, and we will answer any of your questions.
This Monday, I will have the pleasure of playing the new Pete Dye course at French Lick, Ind. I have heard it is amazingly difficult and long. Rumor has it that the course record from the back tees (8,000 yards) is 86. Obviously, I will not be playing the back tees but hope to get a few photos of the views from the back tees.
The U.S. Senior Open qualifier is a month away and I need to find some game. So I need to get out do some practicing and especially do some stretching and walking. So don’t forget to get out hit some balls and play a round here at the Brickyard. Stay tuned for upcoming events and programs here at the Brickyard.
Jeff Schroeder
PGA Head Professional
Brickyard Crossing
Brickyard Crossing is set to open St. Patrick’s Day, Tuesday, March 17 with a “pay the temperature’ fee” greens fee promotion, and it is going great.
In a nutshell, players will pay the air temperature at their arrival time as their greens fee. If the temp is 55, their greens fee is $55, including a GPS-equipped cart.
By the time Tuesday rolls around, we will have close to 150 or more players. The weather forecast calls for lows in the 40’s and highs in the mid-60’s. So there will be a substantial savings for our players here on Tuesday.
We also will run some contests with giveaways, and the clubhouse also will run some traditional Irish food and drink specials. If you want to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day, come out to the Brickyard and play our “greens.”
The PGA Tour this week is in Miami for the World Golf Championships, and the rest of the tour is in Puerto Rico. Our own Chad Collins is in New Zealand playing the Nationwide Tour. He made the cut and is 29th after two rounds.
From reading Chad’s blog, I think he is ready to come home and just might show up here at the Brickyard for St. Paddy’s Day.
Down in Puerto Rico, Jim Gallagher Jr. is making his first start of 2009 on the PGA Tour. Jim represented the Brickyard on Tour back in the late 90s and has been a good friend of ours as well as IMS and racing. Jim is nearing 50 and wants to stay competitive for the Champions Tour, as many familiar names will come out for that tour in the next few years.
Last weekend, I got my 15 seconds of fame. I did a really short piece for a segment on “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams” and NBC’s “Today” show. (Click here to watch segment.) They shot a little footage of the Brickyard at daybreak as we switched over to Daylight Savings Time last Sunday. They asked about how it has affected our business and how it has affected me personally from a physical standpoint.
Daylight Savings has been good for us since more golfers are using our facility later in the day by practicing or getting in a round before dark. From a physical standpoint, I have not noticed anything different other than we go to work in the dark and go home in the dark, which is part of being a golf professional.
Last Monday and Tuesday, we had our Indiana PGA educational and special awards meeting. I’m happy to report that we were awarded the Section Merchandisers of the Year for the resort category. This is the eighth award we have received and will be the last in that category, as we are no longer a resort due to the closing of the motel this spring.
That’s it for this week. Good luck to all our Indiana pros competing in tour events. Take advantage of an early spring and hit the links Tuesday at the Brickyard.
Jeff Schroeder
PGA Head Professional
Brickyard Crossing
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
Cold weather has slowed business down here for the last week or so but a promising forecast for this weekend should bring some golfers out. Like most courses in our area we have aerated our course. I know all golfers hate this fall ritual but it is one of those necessary evils that we must do so that we can achieve optimum turf conditions next spring. With that being said a lot of courses have dropped their rates for the fall and there are some bargains to be had.
Focus on the PGA tour now is players attempting to keep their cards and stay in the top-125 money list. Fellow Hoosier and Brickyard Crossing blogger Chad Collins is in that mix as he tries to win enough money these last 2 events to jump up to the 125.
Another Hoosier, Jeff Overton, was in the top 125 and playing really well, that is, until he went to Phoenix for the PGA Tour stop and had to have an emergency appendectomy. What a terrible break, as Jeff had played really well this fall and was well on his way to securing his card for the 2009 season. But the main thing is that Jeff recovers and gets well soon.
If you don’t get to the top 125 you then get to try Q-School. It is the most grueling tournament in golf. There are two stages and then the finals where only 25 players get their tour cards for 2009.
Our good friend and former Hoosier Jim Gallagher Jr. is going to give it a try again this fall. Jim is just about as old as I am and wants to stay competitive to give the Champions Tour a chance here in a few years. Speaking of the Champions Tour, Hal Sutton made his senior debut last week. Some interesting players are turning 50 here in the next year.
In a few weeks I head off to San Luis Obispo, Calif., for a tournament hosted by Mike Rowley, president of Straight Down Clothing Company. The tournament is a scratch Pro-Am. My partner is Joe Hillman from Wolf Run Golf Club. This tournament is one of the biggest and best tournaments I play in.
Mike invites about 40 club professionals from around the country and then has 20 or more touring pros from the PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour. I have not seen the list of players yet but I know the last few years Tom Lehman, Charley Hoffman and Paul Goydos have competed. When the field is set I will let you know who is playing.
‘Til then get out and play some golf and check out the Brickyard!
Jeff Schroeder
PGA Head Professional
Brickyard Crossing