As a youngster in Seattle in the golden age of flight, Karsten Solheim marveled at Charles Lindbergh’s courage and Amelia Earhart’s audaciousness. It was a captivating time for America’s youth, and Solheim — son of an immigrant family from Bergen, Norway — was romanced by it. One day, he told everyone, he would be an aeronautical engineer.

He was part right. Despite becoming intricately involved in jet propulsion and flight telemetry, Karsten Solheim would make his name not as the designer of the next generation of flying machines, but rather as the developer of a much simpler, yet no less ingeniously designed piece of equipment … a putter.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Karsten Manufacturing Corp. — a company better known by the sound made by its most famous product … PING. The original PING putter, designed and developed in Solheim’s backyard workshop in the late 1950s, became the gold standard for golf-club design and has been replicated in part by nearly every putter made since.

That’s the part most golfers do know — what many do not know is that Solheim’s career, his company and his legacy all had their roots in a tiny little fishing community just north of downtown Seattle. That’s right — the PING story all started in Ballard.

READ MORE IN DECEMBER’S CASCADE GOLFER – AT PUETZ GOLF STORES NOW!

By, Brian Beaky, CG Editor

Now, don’t get me wrong – I love the Northwest, and even the rain, which keeps everything green and fresh, year-round. There’s no experience like coming back from a trip to the Midwest or the East Coast, breaking through the clouds and seeing the mountains, the trees, the hills, the lakes and the Sound … it’s breathtaking, and reminds you how lucky we are to live here.

I also love to play golf, though, and while you’d be a fool not to take advantage of the bargains that are available in our area at this time of year -- $85 rounds for $50, $50 rounds for $25 – the truth of the matter is that, with the exception of those courses that hold up especially well in the wet stuff, playing the majority of our public-access tracks from December through March is an experience only the true die-hards can love.

So it was that, last winter, we focused all of our value-hunting efforts to warmer climes. Sure, you’re going to want to get out and knock it around on a few of your local favorites this winter, but to really find the best golf values at this time of year – that is, the highest quality-for-dollar ratios – you have to head South.

Our resulting feature, “Golf’s Winter Wonderland” (CG, Dec. 2008) received a huge response from our readers, many of whom wound up booking the very stay-and-play packages we recommended. We also talked to many of you throughout the year, at our fall tournaments and at September’s Golf Fest Northwest, and heard that many – if not most – of you have considered taking a desert golf vacation, but are limited by your finances.

Oh, boy – when we see an opportunity to deliver value, we pounce. So, we’re back in 2009 with an all-inclusive rundown of the best values to be found south of the Siskiyous. From our favorite resorts, casinos and clubhouse bars, to the best value courses and frequent-player programs (and even a few secret spots we’d rather keep to ourselves), we’ve canvassed the desert – from L.A. in the West to St. George, Utah, in the east, to help you spend your golf vacation dollar wisely this winter.

The rain will ebb this spring, and we’ll be back teeing it up amongst the pines from April through October … but as golfers, we go where the birdies go, and everybody knows the birdies fly south for the winter.

READ MORE IN DECEMBER'S CASCADE GOLFER - AT PUETZ GOLF STORES NOW!

Figure 1

A 92 percent free-throw shooter is fouled late in a basketball game and steps to the line. You don’t have to be a betting man to predict a good outcome. Now, compare that to your confidence on the first tee, praying to just put the ball in play. An unfair comparison? I think not!

Below, you can view simple repeatable movement patterns that serve to “groove” an excellent/reliable swing. The aim in each is to use rhythm and ease to create your pattern. Motor control research advocates this “part task training” and then integrating the parts as a means of building or fixing efficient movement.

Shoulder/Hip Turn (Fig. 1)
A club, or broom, held across the back of the hips, serves to identify the lateral line, or plane, for the pelvis. Pivot, as if to aim the buckle of your belt to the target line ba

Next, try the same with the club behind the shoulders. As you “pose” is your trailing shoulder moving under your chin? Are you comfortable, or forcing motion?

Figure 2

Weight Transfer
Like a boxer throwing punches, alternately reach right, then left. The keys are to let your feet and hips take part in the turn, keep your chest off our tummy and visualize the line of flight as your plane on which to reach. Pick a spot on the wall that is in line with your feet as your target and “release” towards that point. Stay balanced!

STICK A TEE IN IT

Pushing a tee into the hole at the top of your club grips (you can go look now, yes, they all have them) will keep the club from resting on the bottom of your bag, where collected water can make your grips wet and slick.

LAYER, LAYER, LAYER

Clubs and shoes are important, but your main piece of equipment is … you. Nothing, therefore, is as important as keeping your muscles warm and dry. Your outside “shell” should be GORE-TEX … both above and below the waist. Cotton gets too wet, while windbreakers won’t help keep your muscles warm, and a cold muscle is both useless and prone to injury. Under the GORE-TEX, consider a high turtleneck and rain hood (not a baseball hat or visor) to keep heat from escaping out the top.

CONSIDER TWO GLOVES

Certainly, there are those out there who will say this idea is nuts. But why? Because it might look funny? Heck, if it saved us strokes, we’d wear beanies (we checked, it doesn’t). A second glove can improve your grip on a slick club, which can only help. It’s a $10 tip that could easily save you 3-5 shots in wet weather.

KEEP ‘EM CLEAN

Most golfers clean their spikes at the end of every round – if you don’t, you should. During the winter months, though, check them while waiting on each tee, and pick out the excess grass and mud with a tee if necessary. It will only take 30 seconds, but can significantly increase the grip and stability of your spikes. A muddy spike can be as slick as a tennis shoe.

HANG LOOSE

More than at any other time of year, stretching is key. A cold, stiff muscle won’t flex like you need it to, and may strain when you force it. Take just five minutes a day (every day, not just on the first tee) to stretch your shoulders, thighs and hips. After all, there’s no sense in hurting yourself in the wet weather and missing out on the sun.

DON’T STOP PRACTICING

Too many golfers let their games go in the offseason, and then spend the first part of spring and summer trying to get back to where they were the previous August. Even if you don’t make it out to the course, make time to work on your swing in the garage, or hit a few balls on the range or at an indoor practice center.

We have grown to expect PGA Tour Players to effortlessly and routinely hit the ball over 300 yards. But why are we witnessing these feats on such a regular basis? I believe the answer is in technological advancements — not only in the equipment being played, but also in the fitting tools used to select which equipment to use.

In today’s game, last year’s club models are already in the discount sale bins, while the new models offer adjustable loft, lie and face angles to affect draws or fades; plus interchangeable shafts and moveable weights, promising high launch and low spin. These advancements in club design, when combined with advanced performance analysis, have significantly changed the game.

A recent conversation with the representative for TrackMan Launch Monitors was enlightening. He mentioned how TrackMan showed PGA Tour star Justin Rose how teeing the ball higher would give him an extra 20 yards of distance when hitting into the wind. The conversation also revealed that Tour players frequently use TrackMan to fine-tune their clubs and strategy to specific yardages requisite for the specific course they play.

As materials research and the advance in technology has improved the golf clubs, so has computer technology, high-speed photography, ultrasound and Doppler radar tracking improved club designers and club fitters’ ability to digest information on club performance. These analytical tools go far past the basics of club fitting by analyzing and measuring smash factor, ball speed, clubhead speed, horizontal and vertical launch, spin rates, carry distance, landing angle and much, much more.

Advanced fitting technologies, such as TrackMan Launch Monitors and Motion Analysis by TaylorMade (MATT), simplify the fitting process and recommend club configurations to achieve optimal launch conditions. These systems allow fitters to recommend which equipment will maximize your performance, right down to which ball to use.

How does this affect most golfers? These technologies are readily available at a reasonable cost.

If you think about it, “off-the-rack” golf clubs are one-size-fits-most and designed for the “average” golfer. If you are using equipment that is set up for the “average” golfer, you may be compensating in an effort to make the equipment perform. Remember, the idea is to have your equipment complement your swing.

Find your local game improvement facility equipped with the latest in performance technologies and have your PGA Pro match the perfect club components to your swing dynamics and improve your golf performance.

Gregg Rogers is the founder of Gregg Rogers Performance Centers, a high-tech golf improvement facility committed to helping golfers of all skill levels maximize their potential. Gregg has been recognized as the 2008 WWCPGA Teacher of the Year and has twice been named Club Fitter of the Year, by both Mizuno and TaylorMade. For more information or to arrange a consultation, visit grgolfperformance.com or call 425-746-1655.

Riverbend Golf Complex

Operated by the city of Kent, the Riverbend Golf Complex — featuring a championship, 18-hole course, plus a par-3 course, driving range and mini golf course, is one of the best values in the region.

The best news is, if you’ve played it before, you’re in for a treat — after more than six months of closures to move back levies along the Green River, Riverbend is scheduled to reopen its front nine Mar. 28. Original architect John Steidel was brought in to oversee the $750,000 renovation project and ensure that the necessary changes to the course’s fourth through ninth holes did not affect the integrity of his original design.

That’s good news to the Riverbend faithful, who have long taken advantage of the course’s playable distance and straightforward holes for an enjoyable — and, at as low as $15 in twilight hours, easily affordable — round of golf.

It should be of little surprise that at a course with water in its name, the wet stuff abounds. Indeed, only six of Riverbend’s 18 holes do not play to, from or alongside one of the course’s four water features, including three lakes and the aforementioned Green River, which meanders through and around Steidel’s footprint.

By all accounts, Riverbend’s renovated design won’t vary significantly from its original course. A relatively flat and open layout features enough trees to keep things interesting, but not so many as to require Tour-like precision as you work your way around. It’s above all a fair course — make good shots, and ye shall be rewarded. Heck, you can even miss a few and it won’t punish you too harshly.

All in all, it’s a fun round that won’t overly tax your game, your feet, or your wallet. Throw in the mini golf course and par-3 course, and Riverbend is an even better value for golfers with any amount of time — or family members — on their hands.

After your round, be sure to visit the FireCreek Grill for the Strawberry Mascarpone, a mouth-melting dessert featuring sponge cake, jam, strawberries and mascarpone cream. Now that’s how to finish strong.

BEST HOLE

There’s no topping the 548-yard 18th, both for challenge and beauty. Water and sand threaten both your first and second shots, but it’s the stunning figure of Mt. Rainier towering over the green that will distract you on your final approach.

• Yardage 5,582-6,666 yards
• Rates $15-$37
• Web ci.kent.wa.us/Riverbend
• Tel 253-856-5199

Unless that golf architect is John Harbottle III. A native of Tacoma — and the man behind such Northwest gems as The Olympic Course at Gold Mountain and the all-new Palouse Ridge in Pullman — Harbottle saw not a noisy train, but a classic, character-adding visual element; not a barren, empty swamp, but a set of gentle slopes and open wetlands that, were they only in Scotland, would have been turned into pristine golf links two centuries ago.

The result of Harbottle’s vision is one of the most enjoyable rounds you can find for under $30, featuring a varied collection of holes that will require the use of almost every club in your bag. With five sets of tees and junior rates as low as $15, it’s also a terrific course for beginners or parents playing with children, providing a challenging and entertaining round for golfers of almost any skill level.

About the only thing you won’t find at Sumner Meadows are out-of-bounds stakes (in true links style, there are none) or trees — there are pockets here and there, but the course’s obstacles are more “wet” and “wild” than “woods.”

The “wet” are the number of natural wetlands Harbottle wove his holes across and around, each guarded by long marsh grasses — the “wild.” There are enough hazards to require thoughtful planning from shot to shot, while the open layout and lack of trees still allow for plenty of opportunities to make up for any mistakes.
When the train rolls by (and it will), rather than curse the noise, use the opportunity to take a breath, look around and appreciate a land that, thanks to one innovative architect, is finally receiving its just rewards.

BEST HOLE

The par-5 15th may not be the “best,” per se, but it’s certainly Sumner’s signature — at 628 yards from the tips, you can take three shots to reach the green without ever hitting anything shorter than a 3-iron.

• Yardage 5,269-6,765
• Rates $15-$28
• Web golfsumnermeadows.com
• Tel 253-863-8198

In fact, there’s been such an overwhelming amount of interest in the Muckleshoot Masters that we’ve decided to sponsor a second tournament this fall! And this time, we’re not just planning to let you walk a world-famous course — we’re fronting your greens fees.

Wait, did I say “a” world-famous course? How about if we put you on the tee box at not just one, but three of the most prestigious tracks on the globe?

Welcome to the 2009 Cascade Golfer Challenge, a one-day, two-man, Best Ball event Oct. 10 at Druids Glen Golf Club at which the winning team will walk away with a trip for two to the incredible Bandon Dunes Resort, on the southern Oregon coast, including a two-night stay in the fabulous resort hotel, plus rounds of golf at all three of Bandon’s incredible links layouts.

Play Pacific Dunes (Golf Digest’s No. 2 public track in the nation, behind only Pebble Beach) Bandon Dunes (No. 7) and Bandon Trails (No. 14) — a $1,300 value at peak times — on us!

In addition, we’re going to give the second and third- place teams stay-and-play packages to the sunny shores of Maui, including four nights’ lodging at the Westin Hotel and 36 holes of golf for two, a $2,000 value!

Other prizes will include a stay-and-play package to Coeur d’Alene Resort, tickets to the 2010 U.S. Senior Open, foursomes to Mt. Si and Dungeness Golf Clubs, twosomes to Pumpkin Ridge and other great Northwest tracks, plus clubs, merchandise and much, much more.

Entry fees will be $225 per team and entries will be capped at 72 teams — meaning that for a mere $112.50, you’re giving yourself a 1-in-24 chance to at least win a trip to Hawaii, and a better than 1-in-3 chance to walk away with no less than a shiny new stick for your bag.

If those odds sound as good to you as they do to me, toss your visor in the ring by contacting Cascade Golfer tournament coordinator Simon Dubiel at simon@cascadegolfer.com, or 206-367-2420, ext. 1236.

Just remember to act fast — if the response to the Muckleshoot Masters was any indication, spaces in the CG Challenge field will fill up quickly.

Just don’t be surprised if your non-golfing spouse starts cheering when your 18-footer to win lips out of the cup — especially if they have the swimsuit and suntan lotion already packed.

In the meantime, we’ll plan to see you at Druids Glen on Sept. 12 for the 2009 Muckleshoot Masters, and again Oct. 10 for the Cascade Golfer Challenge … just be sure to bring your “A” game. After all, only the truly elite get to walk the hallowed ground at Augusta National and Bandon Dunes. Well, the truly elite … and you!

Sign Up for the Challenge today!

Tapps Island Golf Club

You can have your vistas of downtown Seattle from Newcastle’s China Creek, or the breathtaking view from the public walking trail above Chambers Bay — for this writer’s money, there’s no more scenic view in Puget Sound golf than from Tapps Island’s second green on a day the mountain is out. The towering vision of Mount Rainier set behind the calm beauty of Lake Tapps … it doesn’t get more authentically Northwest than that.

Wait, did I say “second” green? I should have said, “second and 11th greens.” Tapps Island, located literally on a series of islands lined up like mothballed battleships in the middle of Lake Tapps, is a nine-hole course — but one of the nicest nine-holers you’ll ever play.

How many courses — of the nine- or 18-hole variety — can offer you multiple approaches to island greens and fairways, or large, natural water features on nearly every hole? And there’s one thing you can do on a nine-hole course that you definitely can’t on an 18 (at least, not without ticking off the group behind you or forking over additional greens fees) — make up for that double-sandy by playing the same hole twice.
Of course, Tapps Island mixes up tee boxes and pin placements between the nines, so no hole is truly the “same,” even if you might find yourself right back in that same bunker again.

It’s location certainly makes Tapps Island unique by Northwest standards, while its creative layout and playable distance make for a round that, depending on your skill level and style of play, might be quite challenging or quite easy — but always fun.

BEST HOLE

Having extolled the virtues of No. 2 above, we’ll use this space to recommend the par-3 third. With a tee box isolated on an island and the green beckoning from across the water, you can almost imagine you’re at Pebble. OK, at least Pebble’s nine-hole, Northwest equivalent?

• Yardage 5,342 yards (2,671 per nine)
• Rates $18-$33
• Web tapps-island.org
• Tel 253-862-7011