Tag: Daytona

  • Experience the Daytona Beach Double Feature

    Experience the Daytona Beach Double Feature

    The Daytona Beach area has been home for me since 1997, and one of the reasons I’ve been here for 20 years is because I love the combination of small town feel with big city amenities that are unique to Volusia County and its 500,000 residents. The beaches are uncrowded, restaurant and hotel prices are low, traffic is light and there’s plenty to do. If great golf, beautiful beaches and the Daytona International Speedway aren’t enough to satisfy you, Orlando and its many resorts and theme parks are only about an hour away.

    Come visit my home town, you’ll enjoy it. Drop me a line when you do and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have about places to visit in the area!

    Halifax Plantation - Putting Green

    Daytona Beach Double Feature is One of Florida’s Best Golf Packages

    3-Night, 2-Round Deal Features Outstanding Golf and a Prime Location

    Two of Central Florida’s most popular courses have partnered to create the Daytona Beach Double Feature, a value-laden package that delivers outstanding golf and perks that have made it one of the Sunshine State’s best.

    The 3-night/2-round deal starts at $298 and features golf at LPGA International’s acclaimed Hills Course and Halifax Plantation Golf Club. Golf groups will also enjoy accommodations at the newly remodeled Homewood Suites, daily breakfast and dinner and drinks each night for groups staying-and-playing during the week. 

    A 4.5-star design, the Hills Course is one of Florida’s best public courses. The Arthur Hills layout has hosted the LPGA’s ADT Season Ending Championship, NCAA Championships and the finals of the LPGA Qualifying School, allowing golf groups to walk in the footsteps of some of the LPGA’s greatest players. 

    Halifax Plantation plays through centuries old live oak trees and a pine forest while treating players to a 4.5-star round of golf. The layout has no parallel fairways, giving players the opportunity to enjoy Bill Amick’s classic design and the land’s natural beauty. 

    The accommodations at Homewood Suites, which enjoys an ideal location across from Daytona International Speedway, feature a kitchen and living room, providing golf groups ample room to hangout and enjoy the camaraderie that is an essential part of a great buddies trip.

    What happens off the course is an integral part of a successful golf trip, and few destinations in America can come close to matching Daytona Beach’s offerings, starting with 23 miles of pristine Atlantic Ocean beaches. 

    Golfers can enjoy the thrill of a great round in the morning and the exhilaration of a guided tour around Daytona International Speedway, highlighted by the opportunity to experience the track’s 31-degree high bank corners for themselves.  

    Throw-in scenic parks, deep-sea fishing, Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, world class dining and night life, among countless other activities, and it’s not hard to see why Daytona Beach is poised to become a destination of choice for golfers. 

    For more information, go to DaytonaBeach.golf

  • Handicapping the Field for LPGA Qualifying School

    Photo by Dave Andrews

    The final stage of the LPGA Q School is one month away (Nov. 30-Dec.4). 144 players will compete for 20 “full status” LPGA cards for the 2012 season. The 20 top finishers will be assured of getting into all of the “full field” events on the LPGA schedule (there were 11 this year). Finishing in the top 20 opens the door for those players hoping to make a career on the LPGA, but it is then up to each player to perform well enough to keep her card.

    The five-day tournament at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida is often called the most pressure-packed event that any aspiring LPGA professional ever plays in. Last year it took a 5-day total score of 2 over par to finish in the all-important top 20. Another 20 or so of the top finishers earn “limited” LPGA status, but that will only get them into 2 or 3 LPGA events next year, making it very hard for them to earn enough money to keep their LPGA status for the following season.

    88 players advanced to the final stage of Q School by finishing high in the second stage of qualifying. The second stage event was held in September in Venice, Florida. Another 17 players qualified for the final stage by finishing high on the LPGA Futures Tour’s money list this year. Another 40 players currently hold low-level LPGA status based on their earnings this year, but they have been forced to return to Q School to maintain their “full status” for next season. No LPGA player ever wants to have to return to Q School to maintain her status, but that is the hard reality in professional golf. If you don’t make enough money one year, you run the risk of not being able to play on tour the following year.

    Unlike some previous years, there is no clear “sure thing” this year – that is – a player considered likely to win Q School. 16 year old Lexi Thompson could well have have been that player this year, but she will not have to compete in Q School because of her big win on the tour in September and the tour’s decision to waive the 18 year old age requirement and grant her LPGA membership for next season. I’ve had the chance to attend the last three Q Schools in Daytona (I caddied in one a couple years ago). I’ll be heading there again this year to take in the action and the final day drama. There will be a lot of smiles and a lot of tears among the players that day, on one of the most important days of the professional careers.

    I’ve gotten to know several of the players that will be competing this year and I’ll be rooting for them to earn their cards. Below is a list of the 40 players I think have the best chance of finishing in the top 20. I’ll be curious to see how my picks hold up. There are always surprises at Q School… favored players who don’t play well that week and players that come out of nowhere to earn their cards. It is five days of golf where every shot seems to count so much.

    Here is my list (in alphabetical order) of 40 players, out of the 144 in the field, that I think have the best chance of finishing in the top 20. I’ll be curious to see how my predictions hold up. Don’t be surprised if I’m way off because anything can happen in golf… Here is the full list of players that will be competing in the final stage of LPGA Q School: http://www.lpga.com/content/QUALIFYINGTOURNAMENTSTAGE3FIELDLIST.pdf

    My Predictions

    (* player has current LPGA status)
    (# qualified via LPGA Futures Tour money list)
    Jackie Barenborg#
    Mallory Blackwelder#
    Minea Blomqvist*
    Sara Brown*
    Sarah Brown*
    Misun Cho*
    Cydney Clanton
    Jacqui Concolino
    Stephanie Connelly
    Valentine Derrey#
    Jodi Ewart*
    Allison Fouch Duncan*
    Jennifer Gleason*
    Junthima Gulyanamitta
    Ginger Howard
    Jimin Jeong*
    Brittany Johnston#
    Hannah Jun*
    Ayaka Kaneko#
    Danielle Kang
    Mitsuki Katahira
    Kimberly Kim*
    Stephanie Kono
    Laura Kueny
    Jennie Lee*
    Tzu-Chi Lin
    Paola Moreno*
    Junko Nakada*
    Jean Reynolds*
    Samantha Richdale*
    Lizette Salas
    Elisa Serramia
    Natalie Sheary
    Jessica Shepley*
    Sophia Sheridan#
    Kristie Smith
    Jenny Suh*
    Mariajo Uribe*
    Leah Wigger#
    Hannah Yun

    About the Author: Dave Andrews is a Harvard-educated former television news reporter. Dave is an avid golfer who has become a fan of the Duramed Futures Tour and is the author of Pops and Sunshine, a novel and screenplay about life on tour. His home course in New Hampshire is annually the site of one of the tour’s events.

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  • Erica Blasberg Dead at 25

    Erica BlasbergLPGA Tour player Erica Blasberg was found dead Sunday at her home in Henderson, Nev. She was 25. Erica was a two-time all American and the University of Arizona and turned pro in June of 2004. On the Futures Tour, she won the Laconia Savings Bank Futures Golf Classic, shooting a 62 to break the tour’s 18 hole scoring record.

    While Blasberg didn’t enjoy much success on the LPGA Tour, she did manage to make over $113,000 on the LPGA Tour in 2005, finishing 8th at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay after co-leading with Annika Sorenstam after 54 holes.

    Erica Blasberg lost her LPGA Tour playing privileges for 2010 and had to play in the LPGA Tour Qualifying Tournament in Daytona Beach. Arriving in Daytona, she didn’t seem to be in the right state of mind, complaining about the weather on her twitter account. I ran into her at LPGA International that week and she seemed to be her bubbly and energetic self. However, after shooting rounds of 72-78 she abruptly withdrew from the event. Shortly thereafter, she dropped off the social media map, canceling her Facebook and Twitter accounts. Her website (www.ericablasberg.com) has not been updated in over a year.

    I speculated that this sudden absence may have been mandated by her sponsors Cleveland Golf and Puma, perhaps to redefine her image and help her rededicate her career to golf. I didn’t know Erica personally, but based on her Facebook page she seemed to enjoy the nightlife and non-stop action that comes with living in LasVegas and being a recognizable professional athlete.

    It was shocking to hear of her passing, and even more shocking to learn that she may have committed suicide. “At first glance it looks like she might have taken her own life, but at second glance, something is very, very strange about it,” said Erica’s father, Mel Blasberg, by phone from Nevada. “We’re waiting for the police to make an investigation, it’s a pending investigation. Either way, I lost her and it’s impossible to deal with.”

    Erica’s passing is a tragedy for golf, and for all those who follow the woman’s game and the LPGA. Our sincere condolences go out to all her fans, friends and family. Rest in piece Erica.

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