Santa Monica, CA (March 05, 2010) – American Golf Corporation, one of the leading golf property management companies, is reaching out to the community to help non-profit and community organizations with seminars providing ideas for fundraisers designed to help them to get more out of their fundraising efforts.

After years of putting on successful golf tournaments, corporate events, banquets and more, American Golf Corporation is giving back to the community with a fundraising workshop to help non-profit organizations, schools, churches and other community groups learn effective methods to improve the funds generated by their fundraisers.

Beginning March 23, 2010 at Dyker Beach Golf Course in New York, American Golf Corporation properties across the country will hold fundraising seminars in their communities to help local charities.  The fundraising seminars will continue throughout the remainder of the year at various dates and locations.

“We believe it’s important to give back to the communities in which we do business,” said Derek Duronslet, American Golf, Regional Director of Sales.  “We know our expertise in planning events of all types and sizes can benefit all organizations looking to increase their donations, especially in these lingering unstable economic times.”

The American Golf Corporation Fundraising Seminar Program was designed to offer non-profit and other community organizations a step by step guide to effective and profitable fundraising events.  The complementary seminars provide proven procedures, planning tools and case studies of successful fundraisers along with creative new ideas to fit every event budget. Effective fundraising ideas for non-profits, schools, churches, temples and community organizations will be discussed in this unique presentation.

American Golf Corporation, is one of the largest golf management companies in the world operating over 100 premier private, resort and public golf courses throughout the United States.  For more information visit www.americangolf.com/fundraising.

Fowler is no doubt the number one really young gun on tour. He now has two second place finishes, one a loss in a playoff, in the last six months and has shown that he is ready to play on the big stage. He still has to get his first win sometime soon to solidify his place at the top of the game. Over the course of a career second place finishes don’t mean much, besides a healthy paycheck. There is no doubt that he is ready and has been working hard on his game to come out this early in the year with another strong finish.

This week everyone heads two hours north to the Waste Management Open. It is loud, crazy, and packed with college kids and tourists. We will have a full picture review posted Thursday that will give you a little taste of the grounds and some pictures of players bags and equipment.

The timing of the press conference is also a bit sinister. It will occur during this week’s Accenture Match Play Championship. Accenture was one of the first sponsors to drop Tiger Woods after his accident, and affairs, in November. The only good that come out of this is closure and a return to the Tour for Tiger. While he made idiotic mistakes, the game truly is not the same without him.

Two weeks from now is the always crazy Waste Management Open, formerly the FBR Open. The top players who choose to stick around following the Accenture will go from a quiet mountain setting to a loud and out of control course. TPC Scottsdale will be packed with ASU students and nearly everyone else in the Phoenix area. Most days the crowds are 100,000+ strong and a quarter of those will be surrounding the always exciting 16th. The only hole on tour that looks more like a stadium than a golf course and is constantly noisy.

The next two weeks on Tour will show polar opposites in tournament and format experiences. With the first event starting with just 64 players and a couple thousand spectators to a full field party the following week.

Many people have their opinions and they range from declaring him an outright cheater, to others who believe he is doing nothing wrong. While this debate can go on forever the fact is that he is not breaking any rules according to the USGA. Other players and fans may not agree, but the bottom line is he can play them all year if he chooses. I don’t believe the groove rule should have ever been enacted so I applaud him for shoving it back in the face of the USGA, an organization that seems to make it as difficult as possible to play by the rules. Having said that it his decisions may show some poor taste given the current state of affairs on the PGA Tour. Without Tiger in the picture it seems as though the PGA may have a rough year.

I am in no way condoning what Tiger Wood’s did in his personal life. However, it does remain his personal life and it should not detract from the fact the he is the greatest golfer to ever live. He lives a life that few others have to live and clearly did not handle his personal life as many expected him to. He has let down millions of fans, sponsors and more importantly his family. It is now time to move on. The fact is the PGA Tour needs Tiger Woods to thrive. He has given golf the excitement that kept it from being considered a mainstream, or cool, sport for so many years. Tiger needs to come back so Phil can have someone to take the heat off his wedge situation.

While many have speculated that he may not return in 2010 I have to disagree. Whenever he comes back he will face the backlash for months or years to come so he might as well get it over with. I just can’t picture Woods missing a Master’s in April. So until he makes his return we will continue to talk about Phil’s wedges look for a newcomer to make a rise to the top.

Next time you are on the practice green find a putt with a decent amount of break. Hit a couple putts without attempting to read the break at all. Now step back and take a look from behind the spot you were putting from. This time don’t just look between the ball and the hole. Look  at both sides of the green. Take note if the green is slanted from front to back, or left to right. A putt that appears to be straight can be severely affected by something you may not notice at first glance. Becoming  a great putter does not happen in a single practice session. It can take years for some to really learn to read greens. Being more aware of your surroundings can certainly put you on the right track.

The biggest part of the problem is that the clubs professionals and top amateurs play with are built specifically for them, and not just shaft flex and length. Professionals spend countless hours with fitters to determine the best sole grind, shaft weight, kick point, grip size, swing weight, lie, head shape and material before deciding on a new set of irons, woods, or putter. While this kind of service is available to the public you can expect to spend $5,000-$10,000 on a set of clubs depending on the shaft options and fitting charges. This is something that is just not realistic to the average person.

The absolute best thing any amateur golfer can do is find a demo day and hit as many different clubs as possible. Your local course will often host demo days. If they do not have any scheduled feel free to ask them to look into it. It offers the average golfer to get a glimpse of what a tour player experiences. While the average demo day is not as intense or scientific they should offer plenty of options for the average golfer. Every major golf club manufacturer has upcoming demo days listed on their websites as well. If you cannot find a demo day ask your local professional for a fitting. They will be able to explain the benefits of different club designs and make sure you order what works best with your swing.

Going to the demo day or fitting with an open mind is perhaps the most important factor. It is easy to see someone win a PGA Tour event with a new driver and want to run out and get it. The fact is that it may not help your game at all. I know several fantastic golfers that are playing with Ping irons from the 1980’s and can still compete with anyone around. Just be sure to go into the process willing to try anything if it will help your game. By looking in a different direction you may find something that fits just right.

While Rory McIlroy may be at the top of the class there is no shortage of talented young players. Rickie Fowler, 21, was the top ranked amateur for some 36 weeks two years ago. At the end of last season he proved he belonged on the big stage after nearly winning in Scottsdale. Fowler will make his 2010 debut today in Hawaii.

This year on the PGA Tour appears to have all the players for a major power shift. While it seems that Tiger will never give up his top spot, and he is still the worlds best player, it remains to be seen how long he will be out. It is doubtful that he will miss any big tournaments or majors but nobody can say for sure. At the moment the timing may be perfect for a young star to steal the limelight and perhaps a sponsorship deal or two away from the veterans.