The Wonderful Sport of Golf Dave Speicher Background Born and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Wonderful Sport of Golf

Dave Speicher — Background

• Born and lived in the USA until age 22
• Came to Europe to play professional

basketball (in Belgium, Italy and Switzerland, 1977-1984)

• Had a 30-year business career with

Eastman Chemical in Zug

• Retired in July 2015
• Played active golf for ~50 years
• Member of Ennetsee Golf Club here in

Canton Zug

• Was a Volunteer at the 2018 Ryder Cup

in Paris

Golf History

• The origins of golf go way back and are somewhat disputed. Scotland is

known as the “home of golf”, but there is a lot of documentation about a “golf- like game of coif/goif” in Holland as early as 1257

• However, the game (gowf) was deemed a “distraction” in Scotland and was
• fficially banned by King James II in 1457 and then again in 1471 and 1491 !
• Scotland is given credit for establishing modern golf where 18 holes of golf are

played on a golf course. The game expanded into Great Britain over time and then on to the United States in the late 19th century

• It has come a long way since then and today, golf courses can be found in

almost every country around the globe

• It is a very social sport where you can spend several hours with friends

walking, playing and talking in a beautiful open air setting. Plus, you can literally play it your whole life long,

What you need be able to play golf

• Golf Clubs/Bag (a golfer can carry a max. of 14 clubs in the bag, incl. a putter). Golf

clubs have changed a lot over the past 100 years !

• A Golf trolley to roll your clubs, Golf Balls, Golf Shoes, a Golf Glove, Golf Tees
• Divot repair tool and a ball marker
• Sun screen lotion and/or rain gear, depending on the day…
• And most important, a golf course! A regular golf course usually has at least 2 sets
• f 9 holes to make up an 18 hole course (rumor has it that there were 18 “swigs” in

a bottle of Scotch in Scotland — that’s possibly why there are 18 holes!)

• There are also 9-hole and even 6-hole golf courses as well
• Golf courses are made up of tee areas, fairways, rough, trees, sand traps (bunkers),

water hazards and “greens”, with a hole and a flagstick in each hole on each green

You also need a Handicap card to play in Switzerland

• You can just show up and hit balls at the driving range, but you

cannot just show up and play without a Handicap Card

• A Handicap Card means that you have obtained a certain level of

golfing

• The first level here is a “Platzerlaubnis” then a “Platzreife”. These

are obtained before obtaining an official Handicap.

• If you arriving from a foreign country and are an established

golfer, you will save a lot of hassle by obtaining a Handicap card in your home country. This card can then be presented to the golf course, is recognized and you are permitted to play.

Why do Handicaps make Golf a special sport?

• ….because in golf, the basic amateur can even play against a

seasoned pro and make a competitive game out of it.

• Example: Joe Muster has a -31 Handicap. That means that on a

par 72 course, he should shoot around 103.

• Joe Pro has a +5 Handicap. That means on a par 72 course, he

should shoot around 67.

• So, if they play each other, Joe Pro would give Joe Muster 36

shots (2 shots per hole) and they could play a handicap match against each other and have it be a fair, competitive game.

• You simply just can’t do this in other sports and this separates

golf from other games (tennis — need someone of similar level).

Golf courses in the Zug area

• Holzhaeusern (Gemeinde Risch) — 18 holes, 9 holes and a shorter par 3, 9 hole course.

Was the first Migros course in Switzerland, opened in 1995. (10km from Zug)

• Oberkirch (near Sursee LU) 18 holes plus 9, Migros course (50km from Zug)
• Otelfingen (Kanton ZRH), 18 holes plus 9, Migros course (50km from Zug)
• Meggen (LU), new course, which opened in 2017. 9-hole Public course with fantastic

views over Lake Lucerne. Also has a 6 hole course. (30km from Zug)

• Kussnacht am Rigi (SZ), 18 holes, semi-private course (20km from Zug)
• Sempachersee (LU), 36 holes, semi-private. Site of yearly European Challenge Tour

Professional Golf Event. (35km from Zug)

• Schoenenberg, near Hirzel ZRH and Dietschiberg LU, private courses (~20km from Zug)
• All in all ~100 golf courses in Switzerland, 70 of them with 18 holes or more with over

90,000 registered golfers in the country

How much does it cost to play on the Migros golf courses in Kantons Zug, Luzern and Zurich?

Green Fees Sempach

Costs for Driving Range and Full-Year Membership at Migros Holzhaeusern Golf Course

International Golf Society of Zug

• ~100 members from 25 nationalities in existence for over 10 years.
• Goal of club is to improve the standard of golf in Kanton Zug and to

enjoy playing golf with friends

• Members need to have a 36 Handicap or better
• IGSZ member fee is CHF 75.- per year
• Mainly play 9 holes and a monthly 18 hole competition but also annual

special events, i.e., a 3-day IGSZ “Ryder Cup”.

• A very easy-going and friendly competition with one weekly overall

winner and one winner for “closest to the pin”

• President, Danny Cummins (England) and Chairman, John Stuart

(Scotland)

• All information about IGSZ on Club’s Website www.igsz.ch

Ryder Cup 2018

My Job — Marshall Tee 1Grandstand

• Ryder Cup held once every 4 years

in Europe

• Had to write 1,000 word essay and

be selected

• Had to pay own travel to Paris and
• wn lodging
• 6 days of working the event, but

got clothing and entry for free

• 60,000 spectators for Friday,

Saturday and Sunday’s rounds

• Incredible atmosphere
• Was a great experience

View of Ryder Cup Tee 1 and Hole 1 taken from Hole 1 Grand- Stand

View of 18 Green from side of Tee 1 Grandstand

“Guardians of the Cup” — G.B.

“Vikings” — USA

Fan involvement !

Ryder Cup Excitement

Team USA

Team Europe

Team Captains Jim Furyk and Thomas Bjorn

Congratulations Europe!

Europe 17 1/2 USA 10 1/2

Ryder Cup Geschichte

• 1927 - 1971 USA 15, GB 3 und 1 Tie
• 1973 - 1977 USA 3, GB/Ireland 0
• 1979 - till present Europe 11, USA 8, 1 Tie

Future Sites Ryder Cup

Quick Summary

• Golf is a fantastic game — you can play it for your whole life. It is a great social game and

you will always have an activity to do with your friends.

• The Handicap system allows two players of any level to play against one another. You’ll need

a Handicap Card to play here, so get one in your home country if you can.

• Golf is a perfect sport for Switzerland, because one can ski in the winter and play golf in the

summer.

• There are plenty of golf courses in Switzerland and we are fortunate to have several pretty

good ones in close vicinity to Zug.

• The Ryder Cup is one of the highlight events in golf. The competition between “Europe” and

the USA is a strong rivalry. The next Ryder Cup in Europe will be in Rome in 2022.

• To learn more about golf, just tune in on your TV to the Masters Golf Tournament over this

coming weekend — it is going to be a great tournament as always !

ANY QUESTIONS?

Back-up Slides

Cost of obtaining a Handicap card here

Paris Golf National und Ryder Cup 2018 — Tee-off Just After Sunrise