Summer Update!

Dear Cardinal Golf Faithful!!!!

Hard to believe that August is already here. Time during the summer flies by with so much going on in the golf office as well as with the team. I thought I would take some time to post a few updates and hopefully interesting tidbits to get us through until the team arrives back on Sept. 8th!

The Stanford Golf Camp finished up last weekend in good fashion with our very popular Parent / Child Camp. We had a blast and enjoyed some quality golf time with some really neat families. I don't know what is more pressure ... trying to help out a young camper or their Mom and Dad! Everyone enjoyed the weekend and the Stanford Golf Course and Siebel Varisity Golf Complex stole the show. The summer was full of other sessions as well and we had the chance to meet and teach kids from all over the world. Golf is becoming a global game and that is seen in the much larger numbers of kids coming from Asia, France, and South America as an example. We almost hit the 400 person mark this summer with camps and it has been a fun and educational experience for me as co-director with our women's coach, Caroline O'Connor. If you have anyone that might enjoy a camp in the future please steer them towards www.stanfordgolfcamp.com!

The guys have been very active this summer and thanks to Bob Stevens, our webmaster on www.stanfordmensgolf.org, for following their progress so closely. It looks like we will have at least four or five guys in the US AM in a few weeks at Erin Hills which is a neat accomplishment. The USGA exemption this year of the top-50 Am's in the World Ranking into the AM is a great idea and will definitely benefit our guys this summer and down the road. Another fun thing to follow has been the quest of the few of our guys to make the Walker Cup Team which is selected soon and that takes place in Scotland in early September. David Chung, Andrew Yun, and Patrick Rodgers all have a chance so it will be exciting to see if any of them will be chosen for Amateur Golf's version of the Ryder Cup. Of particular note ... incoming frosh Patrick Rodgers had a very impressive win last week in the Porter Cup in Niagra Falls, NY. The Porter Cup is one of the strongest fields all year in Amateur Golf. Patrick had 2 eagles and a birdie on is final nine to come from behind to win. Very impressive for a guy that hasn't yet gotten to college! Well done Patrick. Andrew Yun, Cameron Wilson, and David Chung also had solid finishes.

Coach Rowe and I have spent much of our time this summer on the recruiting trail. It is fun to see how many kids have an intial interest in Stanford University and all that it offers. It becomes our job to figure out who has the game and grades to match up! We have traveled a bunch this summer scouting players and feel good about the developments we have had in the 2012 entry class as well as positive indications in the 2013 and 2014 entry classes. These young guys can really play!!! I didn't even know what under par golf was when I was that age and so many of these young players go low on a regular basis. I must say however that the kids that we like the best are the ones that are not "burnt out" with junior golf. Competing is one thing but if you have an entourage at age 14 complete with swing coach, parents, caddy, work out guru, and sports psyche it might be a bit much. It is amazing what parents today are spending on junior golf and I hope that in the future we can go back to a dynamic that isn't as hyped up as pro golf... it has to be about the competition and score... not the dog and pony show!

Speaking of the show ... the team will report back to campus on September 8th for physicals, meetings, and qualifying. Coach Rowe and I can't wait! Wish it was tomorrow! We will have plenty of work to do before we head off to Olympia Fields and our first event of the season in the Fighting Illini Classic. A very strong filed on a world class course ... all we can ask for. I think it is safe to say that everyone is excited about the prospects for the year but it will require a lot of hard work and proper focus.

Finally, I want to be sure that everyone knows about the Cardinal Golf Classic 2011. The date we have picked this year for our annual fundraiser is Sept. 30th. Come one and all. More info can be found on our website. Thanks in advance for all of your support!

Until next time..... I wish everyone many 1-putts!

Coach Ray