“We are very proud of the accomplishment” says Head Golf Professional Chad Scott. “This may be the 11th straight year, and some may say it is an automatic distinction, but we don’t take it for granted.  We believe we have a great product paired with great service, but we continue to looks for ways to increase our service level to provided the most complete global golf experience for our members and guests.”

The Harvest opened in 1994, with a commitment to provide a full service, global golf experience. The unique and challenging, 18 hole championship course layout along with the Okanagan’s largest grass practice facility attracts thousands of golf enthusiasts every year. With the amazing food creations from The Harvest Grille & Lounge and a second to none wedding venue, The Harvest Golf Club is the most complete golf venue in Kelowna.

To view a complete list of winners in all categories, read the complete article here.

Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year!

The Harvest Golf Club

PKG can best be described as men’s athletic underwear. Heard of SAXX? Same concept. Without going into detail of the male anatomy, PKG provides a comfortable fit and support for sporting and everyday activities. Their patented “Keyhole Comfort Technology” creates the best underwear experience for men.

Experience? really? That’s what I first thought. But to fully understand, you need to put a pair on. Only then will you appreciate the thought put into these underwear. PKG are simply the most comfortable underwear I have ever put on. They are perfect for golf, the gym, cycling, running or just normal everyday use.

PKG comes in two models; Weekday and Weekend. Both are similar but the differences are the Weekend’s has a more luxurious waistband, but can roll over. The Weekday’s have an anti-roll waistband and come in more colours than the Weekend’s. The Weekend’s are also $10 more expensive and in my opinion, aren’t worth it. Weekday’s are $25 and Weekend’s $35.

$25 is a little steep for a pair of underwear, compared to the pack of 3 Joe Boxer’s from Costco for $15. But give one a try and you’ll be hooked. For more information and all colours visit www.mypakage.com. The Weekday’s are available at The Harvest Golf Shop.

Our menu features the highest quality products including the freshest of herbs from our own gardens.  At the Harvest, we offer you not only a fabulous facility, but exceptional service.  Our commitment to excellence guarantees a truly memorable experience.

Click here for our 2011 Christmas menus

Contact Tamara, Sales & Marketing Manager to discuss availability at 250.862.3109 or by email at tgraham@harvestgolf.com.

The G20 Driver

What Ping Says: The G20 is for all ability levels, the external weighting of the large, forgiving G20 driver helps launch the ball high with low spin for maximum distance and accuracy. PING’s proprietary high-balance point shaft enables you to swing a club head at more mass with the same speed, generating fast ball speeds at a high MOI, for long straight drives. The G20 launches the ball .75 degrees higher and with 200 less rpm than the G15.

First Impression: The G20 feels lighter that the G15, but in fact the club head is 2 grams heavier than it’s predecessor. This is due to their high-balance point shaft; allowing more mass at the head, but keeping the overall swing-weight down. Gone is the black finish in favor of a metallic gray or graphite colour.  The club sets up very well when grounded and I found it aesthetically pleasing, although I still prefer the matte finish of my R11 to the gloss of the G20.

First Swings: The G20 feels perfectly balanced. I knew were the club head was throughout the swing, but it never felt lagging or too heavy. The club seemed to cut through the air like a knife; a reference to the improved aerodynamics of the club. The performance was outstanding; I hit 5 consecutive drives like it was on a frozen rope and the distance was long. For me, I hit the standard TFC 169D shaft a little high for my liking and could probably benefit from the lower launch/spin TFC 169D Tour shaft.

Pros: Sets up well; looks great; easy to swing and $329 is not as harsh on the pocketbook.

Cons: Only 2 stock shaft options to choose from. Club is still a little plain and boring, but with the success of the G series why change?

Overall: The PING G20 driver is definitely an improvement over the G15 but is just an evolution rather than a revolution. Either way, a large variety of skill levels are going to improve their distance and accuracy with this driver.

The G20 Irons

What Ping Says: With the G20 irons, you’ll hit the ball long but with distance control. Perimeter weighting and a deep cavity design, the 17-4 stainless steel heads are highly forgiving. An elastomer cavity badge provides solid feel and sound while enhancing distance control.

First Impression: The club face has a darker finish than the G15 that helps reduce glare. The club head also had more of a satin finish and not as “rough” as previous versions. Additionally, PING has done a very good job of hiding the wide sole at address; providing a clean, thin look that resembles more of a Eye2 iron than G15.

First Swings: The sound is soft and pleasant, but very solid. You could hit this anywhere on the face and it would feel good. The new CFS steel shaft provided good feel and reaction. The ball flight is high; too high for myself, but that’s what the G20 is good at.

Pros: Great looks, CFS shaft, sound, custom fit options and at $749 in steel shafts for a set, many golfers will be adding these to their bag.

Cons: Not a lot of feedback on shots. Might be too high of a ball flight for some golfers. If that is the case, wait for the new i20 irons next spring.

Overall: Another solid product from a company that invented the cavity back iron.

The Harvest Golf Club has the entire G20 product line in stock, with demos in right and left handed and available for custom fitting. If you are interested in being fit or just want to try, contact the Golf Shop today.

With the explosion of handheld devices such as ipods, iphones, blackberry and numerous other “smart” devices has come the addition of applications for these devices, also known as Apps. This multi-billion dollar market includes Apps that do about anything and everything, including bar code scanners, radio, banking, travel, games and many useless apps. But besides apps that record your golf swing, no one has really developed an application that actually improves your game. Until now.

PING golf has just released their iPING Putter App and cradle for the Apple iOS platform that can be used with certain model ipods and iphones. The app is a FREE download from the iTunes app store and works in conjunction with their exclusive putter cradle for the 4th generation iPod touch and iPhone 4.

To get started is very easy, purchase the cradle from an authorize  PING dealer (Cradles are in stock at The Harvest GC for $29.95) and download the iPING app. Then slide either your ipod or iphone into the cradle and snap the cradle to the shaft of the putter. The app itself is very slick, just tap start and hit five consecutive putts from 10 feet. Using all the sensors built into the device, the app produces results for stroke type, impact angle, tempo and consistency.

In a matter of a couple minutes you can determine your swing path and face angle at impact; the two major factors in determining if you make or miss a putt. The app is simple to use that even a non-techie can figure it out. You also have the ability to compare your stats to previous sessions, other users or over a dozen PGA Tour players including Hunter Mahan, Bubba Watson and Lee Westwood.

One thing the iPING doesn’t do however is tell you how to correct your putting stroke flaws. Although some may be logical and easy to fix, others will require the attention of your local PGA Pro to determine the best course of action. Overall, the iPING app and cradle is an extremely useful tool to help golfers sink more putts and improve their game. The iPING cradle can be purchased at The Harvest Golf Club for $29.95.

Watch the video below for full details of how the app works:

For Immediate Release

In the individual competition, Alberta’s David Guterson, of Calgary, and BC’s Jordan Hoodikoff, of Grand Forks, tied for low overall, each winning their respective division titles of Boys 14-16 and Boys 17-19.  It took a six hole putt-off to decide Guterson as the winner of an international exemption to the Texas Junior Golf Tour Holiday Classic in Austin, Texas, a well-scouted event in American junior golf.

David Guterson, 16, who got off to a sizzling start in the Kelowna heat with his opening round of four under 68, closed with a 75 for a 143 total and a one stroke victory among Boys 14-16. “It feels fantastic, it’s my first win!” he exclaimed, as this is indeed his first win ever and a great one at that.  Lucas Gatto, 16, of Burnaby, BC, was runner-up after firing back-to-back rounds of even par 72, and third place in the division was a tie at 154 total score between 15 year olds Colin Wang of Vancouver (77-77) and Pitt Meadow’s Ryan Hunt (76-78).

Jordan Hoodikoff, 17, shot 71-72 (143) to win the Boys 17-19 title by two strokes over Justin Fram, 19, of Kelowna.  Fram and Hoodikoff shared the lead after round one, each with a one-under 71, however it was Hoodikoff that would come in with an even par 72 to close out the title over Fram’s final round 74 (71-74=145). “It’s shocking really, I don’t think it will really set in for a couple more days,” said Hoodikoff of his victory. “I hit my irons really well both days so as a result I was able to make quite a few birdies.” Third place prize was collected by Langley’s Dylan Reichelt, 18, who carded 73-74 (147).

An Okanagan sweep in the Girls Division saw all three top spots taken by Kelowna and Summerland players.  Kelowna’s Madison Kapchinsky, 16, was the winner after shooting two great rounds in the 70’s of 78-76 (154), overtaking first round leader, Jessica Claggett. “My mom heard about the tour and thought it would be a good way to gain experience,” said Kapchinsky. “It feels great (to win), I had some good competition out there.”  Claggett, 16, fired 76-81 (157) to finish second three strokes back.  Rounding out the division was 14 year old Summerland golfer, Rachelle Nielsen, who scored 85-86 (171).

Vancouver’s Christopher Ballesteros (76+70=146) played a great tournament in the Boy’s 13 and Under division and won by a considerable advantage, taking the lead early and building on it through the two days. After recording impressive scores for a 12 year old, Ballesteros commented, “I feel great but I’m not going to let it get to me too much and be over-confident; keeping my focus is what I need.”  Second place belonged to Kelowna junior golfer, Nicholas Jones, 13, who carded rounds of 83-79 (162), and third place went to Mitchell Thiessen, 12, of Chilliwack, BC (91-88=179).

The MJT Interclub competition between 13 teams was won by Hazelmere Golf Club, with the Reichelt brothers and Tyler Roope scoring 139 to beat Two Eagles Golf Club by three. Hazelmere Golf Club, in South Surrey, BC, has a strong group of junior golfers who compete on the MJT all year and now with their win these players receive paid entries into the MJT Okanagan Junior Championship at Predator Ridge Golf Resort in Vernon on August 8-9.

The Mr. Lube Long Drive Competition winners during the tournament were Christopher Ballesteros (Northlands Golf Club), Matthew McEachran-Law (Vernon Golf Club), Jesse Reichelt (Hazelmere Golf Club) and Madison Kapchinsky (Kelowna Springs Golf Club, while the Sundog Closest to the Pin prizes went to Nicholas Jones (Kelowna Golf Club), Lucas Gatto (Vancouver Golf Club), Dylan Reichelt (Hazelmere Golf Club) and Mackenzie Field (Christina Lake Golf Club).  For best second day comeback, the Golf Town Comeback Award winners were Ballesteros, Ben McNiven (Merritt Golf Club), Daniel Richardson (The Harvest Golf Club) and Kylie Jack (Two Eagles Golf Club).

Next stop on the Boston Pizza-presented Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour is the MJT Odlum Brown Classic – PGA of BC Junior Championship at Northview Golf Club in Cloverdale on July 25-27.  This 54 hole event, sponsored by Odlum Brown Limited, is the top tournament on the MJT schedule and is ranked by Golf Canada/Golf British Columbia, with exemptions into the Provincial Championships 2012 and the San Diego Junior Amateur.  Online registration is at www.maplejt.com or juniors can call 1-877-859-4653.

MEDIA CONTACT: MJT – Elaine Denton -  edenton@maplejt.com -  1-877-859-GOLF

Click here for full scoring and results

It has become a growing trend these days to take the family along to a teeing vacation. There are many vacation packages being sold that allow you to take your whole family along to a golfing vacation that will help your family make good use of the entire vacation. This is will help to get the entire family into the vacation mood and you can have fun together.

There are many facilities in these resorts for keeping the entire family happy. These resorts most of the time are ultra kid friendly. These resorts have various activities to keep the kids involved and engrossed. This is because the last thing that you would want on your mind when you are playing golf is what your wife and kids are doing. Therefore when you know that the rest of your family is occupied you can tee off with a peace of mind.

The golf resorts can be a social gathering of women. After all, you know very well that women like this sort of social gathering. They would like to meet and interact with other golfer wives and have their little parties. Also playing golf is considered to be an elite sport. Therefore going to a golfing resort would raise the standards of your wife in the social circle. Therefore your wife will love going to such resorts. She would soon make friends with your fellow golfer’s wives and soon take an affinity on going with you on such expeditions. You can be sure that you have the best of times when your wife is engaged and your kids are also engaged and you can enjoy your peaceful game of golf.

There are many things that you can do when you are in the resort. You can have your peaceful breakfast in the morning and then head to your game of golf. You can take a break and perhaps go swimming in the pool. Also you can hit various facilities like a Jacuzzi or a spa that is available in the resort. With all these facilities available, you will want to make the most of your vacation. Or if your mind is just on golf then you can have your wife and kids enjoy these facilities. This will help to make sure that you have a complete family vacation and tee off at the same time.

- Brent Barr

Associate Professional