Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2011 - 26

the
staff. " I see the value [of GPS] when playing
different golf courses, but our course
is so well-marked. With 80 percent of our
rounds played by members, I like to keep it
as simple as we can. "
For Mike Barge, an accomplished amateur
and professional golfer and the director of
instruction at Hazeltine National Golf Club
in Chaska, the data provided by a DMD may
be too fi ne a tool.
Known for his precision tee-to-green
game, Barge sees the benefi t of using DMDs
for practice because " golfers see exactly how
far they're hitting the ball. " But he also notes
that old-school tour players like Ben Hogan
and Johnny Miller (both known for astounding
ball control) " never used one. "
While Barge trusts the effi cacy of DMDs,
he doesn't own one-yet. " I don't know why
[golfers] wouldn't own them, " he says. He
plays in a fair share of professional and open
events and harbors the old-school view
that he plays just as well without the
benefi t of using a DMD. " I use a hole
location sheet, fi nd a sprinkler head
[and] I get close enough, " he says.
Still, Barge notes that more than half
of the membership at Hazeltine dabbles
in DMDs, and all of his high school players
use them in their summer tournaments.
University of Minnesota sophomore
Kyle Beversdorf-a golf team transfer from
North Iowa-started using a rangefi nder
after his fi rst collegiate tournament, where
DMDs were widely in use. " Every single
player used one, so I felt at a disadvantage
not using one, " he says.
Beversdorf, a former MGA Junior
Player of the Year and State Junior Publinks
champ, purchased a DMD. He fi nds it useful
in helping him map out a golf course
during his practice rounds. During U.S.
Amateur and U.S. APL sectional qualifying,
where DMDs aren't allowed, Beversdorf felt
the absence of a rangefi nder " wasn't that
big a deal from fairway to green. " But when
measuring certain carries, he missed his
DMD. " I felt the loss was a disadvantage, "
he says.
Will the old school change its perception
of DMDs?
" Everybody using DMDs is playing the
same game, " Barge observes. " Does using a
long putter seem traditional to you? " MG
24 MINNESOTAGOLFER Fall 2011
Golden Valley member Marty Canis
sports a pistol-grip LaserLink
rangefi nder during a fun round at the
par-4 third hole.
Pace of Play?
Do DMDs Improve
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Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2011

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