This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2005, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah Golf Calendar
WEDNESDAY - UGA Senior Amateur, Valley View G.C., Layton.
THURSDAY - UGA Senior Amateur, Valley View G.C., Layton; Utah Section PGA-Buick Scramble Qualifying, Sunbrook G.C., St. George.
FRIDAY - Fall Chicago, University Golf Course, SLC; Dixie Open, Dixie Red Hills G.C., St. George.
SATURDAY - Dixie Open, Dixie Red Hills G.C., St. George; Pepsi Challenge 4 Ball, Ben Lomond G.C., Ogden; Couples 3 in 1, Carbon County Club, Price; Palisade Amateur, Sterling; Fall Classic, Coral Cliffs G.C., Kanab.
SUNDAY - Dixie 2-Man Scramble, Dixie Red Hills G.C., St. George; Utah Section CPC Championship, Ogden Golf & Country Club, Ogden.
MONDAY - Utah Section CPC Championship, Ogden Golf & Country Club, Ogden.
MIDWAY - Having played the Homestead Resort course hundreds of times, Chris Briscoe figured a GPS-based yardage system was an unnecessary luxury.
But he became sold on the innovation one day when he hit a wayward drive on the first hole, had to lay up in front of a creek and realized he was not sure how much room was available. The system not only provides yardages to the flagstick, but to hazards and even to other carts in the fairway.
"It's very helpful in a lot of ways," said Briscoe, a director of Resort Golf Management, the Homestead's operator.
RGM contracted with the Texas-based UpLink Corporation to install the system on the Homestead's carts, in response to increased competition in the Heber Valley. With 72 state-owned golf holes now surrounding them, officials wanted to "do everything we could to stand out . . . offer golfers something unusual," Briscoe said.
When the cart stops at the tee, the screen attached to the roof shows a detailed view of the hole, including playing tips from the pro. The display also keeps the elapsed time of the round, and how that corresponds to the proper pace of play (for a 4 1/2 -hour round, in the Homestead's case).
There's also room for small advertisements, offsetting the cost of the system, and an automated scorecard function. Golfers also can order food, available at the turn.
At most courses, golfers calculate the yardage to the middle of the green with the help of discs placed in 50-yard intervals, or with numbers stamped on sprinkler heads. Color-coded flags on the greens offer basic hole-location information.
But the UpLink system is more precise. Knowing the exact yardage to the flagstick takes away the guesswork of factoring in the hole location, which is a big variable with the Homestead's deep greens. It's also fun, if impractical, to see how the system measures dogleg holes from the tee - as the crow flies.
Using the system requires driving a cart right to the ball, but the driver can stop long enough to get the reading, drop off the rider and move on to the other ball.
Officials have not found that the system increases the pace of play overall, but they like being able to track each cart, in case a group is too slow or drives into a restricted area. In the golf shop, they can monitor the exact location of the carts and where they've gone during the round.
The Homestead attracted 600 more rounds of golf in July than in July 2004, and Briscoe figures the system has contributed to the course's resurgence in popularity.
"The reviews have been wonderful," he said.
Thompson wins Cache Open
American Fork's Kim Thompson has battled some nagging injuries this season, but that didn't stop him from winning the Cache Valley Open at Birch Creek and Logan River golf courses Friday and Saturday. Thompson's 36-hole total of 3-under-par 143 gave him a one-shot win over fellow professional Mark Owen and amateurs Zach Johnson and Corey Matthews.
At 142 were pros Derek Penman, Kurt Abegglen and Roy Christensen.