College of Golf July 2023 Events

College of Golf July 2023 Events

College of Golf Online Students Enjoy Residency Program

The Keiser University College of Golf (KUCOG) Residency, held the third week of July, is an on-ground weeklong program for all Keiser University online students enrolled in the Golf Management programs. The Residency provided KUCOG online students an opportunity to meet face-to-face with faculty and other students, further strengthening the community of learners and enhancing the required competencies for the successful completion of the degree programs. More specifically, the Residency is designed to assist students with managing the online process by providing pertinent and relevant seminars and workshops. Current on-ground students shared experiences, insights, and tips with online students to help them meet KUCOG program requirements. Full-time faculty and administrators facilitated the Residency.

Working with online students to develop the skills and knowledge needed to complete their course of study, the Residency workshops covered:

• Golf Improvement Process
• Technology Review
• Shot Shaping
• Golf Club Fitting and Repair
• Golf Genius Seminar
• Mastering the Short Game
• Rules of Golf
• Impact Zone Golf Workshop
• History of Golf Experience
• Faculty Roundtable
• PGA Membership/PGA Playing Ability Test
• Student Services
• Library Services

Residency Objectives were to:

• Foster face-to-face interaction among peers and scholars.
• Build a sense of community among learners in the Golf Management program.
• Strengthen research and communication skills to enhance student success.
• Help students develop the knowledge and skills needed as prospective golf industry professionals.
• Deepen student engagement within fields of study through co-curricular experiential learning opportunities.

Residency students in Short Game clinics

Residency students in Short Game clinics

Keiser University College of Golf Online Residency and Traditional Learners Play Hickory and Persimmon Golf

Keiser University College of Golf (KUCOG) online Residency Program and traditional students recently enjoyed playing a round of hickory and persimmon golf. Led by PGA Professionals Ken Martin, Brian Hughes, and David Wixson, the group used hickory shafted golf clubs and 1970s persimmon woods and blade irons as part of the competition.

Dr. Eric Wilson, Executive Director of Golf Operations and PGA Legacy Master Professional, oversaw the students and Professors Martin, Hughes, and Wixson as they used mid-irons, mashies, niblicks, and putters with hickory shafts and persimmon woods, blade irons, and Bullseye putters to play the par-72 Okeeheelee Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida. Competing in a “scramble” format, four teams participated in the event. The winners were Brian Hughes, Ray Elmore, Alfonso Vegaelias, and James Concannon, scoring 64. Second place by a shot went to the team of Frank Longabucco, Leonard Harper, Fred Padilla, and Edward Brooks. David Wixson, Kelly Myers, David Thrush, and Gabriel Ladue claimed third place with a score of 66. Finishing fourth with a score of 68 were Ken Martin, Ryan Metzger, Mark Simon, and Katongo Chama.

As KUCOG leaders congratulated the new Hickory and Persimmon Golf Champions of the Residency Program, Keiser University Flagship Campus Golf Coach Brandon Miller donated a “gold” cup for the winner’s prize. The team will “own” the cup until the next competition.

“The opportunity to use replica golf clubs from the 1920s and 1970s gave the students an appreciation for the skills and abilities of golf’s greats of both eras. Champions such as Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen, and Long Jim Barnes all shot incredible scores. They won major championships using hickory shafted golf clubs, as did the next generation of champions with steel shafts, persimmon wood heads, blade irons, and Bullseye putters. Overall, the experience was enlightening and fun,” said Wilson.

College of Golf Online Residency Program participants before teeing off in the Hickory/Persimmon Golf Championship

Residency Program Hickory and Persimmon Winners (L-R), Brian Hughes, James Concannon, Ray Elmore, and Fred Padilla

Keiser University College of Golf Students Participate in Historic Hickory Open Putting Championship as Part of Residency Program

Keiser University College of Golf (KUCOG) online and traditional students recently participated in a unique putting competition held as part of the KUCOG’s one-week Residency Program.

Hosted by Professor Ken Martin and College of Golf Executive Director of Golf Operations Dr. Eric Wilson, the group enjoyed using hickory-shafted putters and golf balls from different historical eras, beginning in the early 1800s and progressing through the modern day.

Students gathered at the outdoor putting green as Martin explained the different putting stations, culminating in an 18-hole putting competition. The group putted three-hole segments with each of the following:

• Long nose putter and feathery golf ball (pre-1848)
• Wry neck putter and smooth gutta percha golf ball (1848-1850)
• Hackbarth putter and hand-hammered gutta percha golf ball (1850-1865)
• Brown-Vardon semi-mallet head putter and bramble pattern gutta percha golf ball (1865-1900)
• Schenectady putter and balata-covered golf ball (1900-1960)
• Calamity Jane putter and Pro V-1 golf balls (1960-modern day)

Par for the course was 36, and the Champion of the Residency Historic Open Putting Championship was Fred Padilla, who scored 42 and won in an exciting playoff with COG traditional student Gabriel Ladue.

COG online residency and traditional students at the Historic Hickory Open Putting Championship

Residency Student Fred Padilla is the Historic Hickory Open Putting Champion

College of Golf Students Learn Bunker Skills

Keiser University College of Golf PGA Professional Frank Longabucco and PGA Master Professionals Brian Hughes and David Wixson recently conducted a clinic on escaping from a greenside bunker at the facility’s outdoor training area.

Longabucco led the demonstration and participation clinic by involving the students in a question-and-answer session relating to various bunker techniques and skills. He then demonstrated the correct and incorrect ways to play from a bunker. Students were then assigned practice stations and participated in multiple drills as the instructors worked with them and provided feedback. As in previous clinics, students were shown how to practice and train while being taught the proper journal entries.

The clinic ended with a competition designed to motivate learners to practice and refine their bunker skills. Aramis Wells won it with a bunker shot that stopped just over a foot from the hole.