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SWING KING! YOUR CHANCE AT $10,000!

This past week River Oaks had their first Swing King winner, Mike Buttleman. Mike earned golf’s greatest achievement, a hole in one, on hole 16 that won him $10,000. 

Mike Buttleman holding his gigantic check for $10,000 after hitting a hole-in-one on hole 16.

River Oaks offers its golfers a daily hole-in-one contest from Swing King on our hole 16, a 170-yard par 3. Swing King is the first fully automated hole-in-one contest designed for everyday play. All golfers have the option to participate in a Hole-in-One contest either at the Pro Shop when they check-in, on-course via iPad on beverage cart, or both. Just pay $5 or $10 before you tee off on hole 16, and when you hit that hole in one, you will win $10,000 or $20,000!

What is even crazier than Mike hitting a hole in one is the club that he used. Mike’s spectacular shot came off of the face of a 9 wood! Any regular golfers out there will know that a 9 wood is rare. You don’t see many golfers with a 9 wood in their bag. One thing a 9 wood does is adds loads of loft. It pitches the ball high up where it will land with little to no roll. It was this added loft that helped Mike hole out from over 170 yards as Mike’s ball bounced once and trickled into the hole. 

Here is a video of Mike’s hole in one:

Congratulations Mike! 

Do you think you might have the skill or the luck to have your chance at a hole in one? 

 

 

SO YOU WANT TO GOLF? FIVE REASONS TO TAKE UP GOLF

1.) Golf is a great way to meet new people and make new friends.

Golf is a great way to meet new people and make new friends.

There is no way I would be able to put a number on how many friends and interesting people I have met through the game of golf. Working for a golf course or joining a weekly league are great and easy ways to meet other like-minded individuals who love the sport. Your friend might invite an acquaintance to fill a foursome, or the golf club might pair up your twosome with another twosome, or you might have to bring a potential new client on a business golf outing. No matter what the case may be, the truth about golf is that it tends to bring strangers together. You are with them for at least four hours during your round, and four hours is a decent amount of time to get to know someone, just enough time to start the round as strangers and leave as friends. 

2.) Golf is an individual sport as much as a competitive one. 

Golf is a great way to get together and compete with each other in a little friendly competition. However, a unique aspect of golf is that it is a sport that can be played by yourself. You do not need a team or even an opponent to play the game. You are the opponent. You are competing against yourself. There is something beautiful about being able to go out on the golf course by yourself and be able to play without any distractions. Whether you are playing with other people or not, the game can still be individual because, in the end, you are not trying to beat your opponents. You are trying to beat your own personal best. 

3.) Golf is a sport anyone can play.

Father Daughter - River Oaks Golf Course - Cottage Grove

Golf is a sport anyone can play.

Golf is not a sport that requires a tremendous amount of athletic ability. Golf is a sport for people of all shapes, colors, sizes, sexes, and ages. That is what is unique about golf. It is a sport anyone can play. It is a game where retired and out of shape men and women with bad backs and arthritis can get together and compete on the same field as the young kids with power and athletic prowess. You do not have to be in great shape or have a terrible amount of skill to hit a decent golf shot or make a long putt. Sometimes you need a little luck and a desire to play. 

4.) Golf is a great excuse to get yourself outside.

Golf is a great excuse to get outside in nature and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. It is also an awesome way to get a sense of nature and the natural landscape of the area. Something is amazing about the way a golf course transforms the natural land around it into something beautiful. If you like to walk when you golf, then golf is almost like a hike through a beautiful park and can be great exercise. The average golf course is around 4 miles in length, and walkers can expect to add over 7500 steps to their daily total, burning up to 300 calories. Even golfers who use carts still get to enjoy the sun rays on a bright day. And the sunshine is good for you!

5.) Golf can teach you life lessons.

Father Daughter - River Oaks Golf Course - Cottage Grove

Golf can teach you life lessons.

If you want to be a great golfer, there are many things you need to learn and to be taught. However, another interesting thing about golf is the number of different life lessons this sport can teach you. Just learning to play the game can teach you about sports etiquette and sportsmanship. It can teach you how to stay focused and think outside the box when it comes to problem-solving. It can also teach you the value of honesty and patience that is just as helpful off the course as it is on the course. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or a veteran golfer, golf always has something new to teach you. 

CORONA & THE GOLFING SEASON: WHAT CAN WE EXPECT?

The City of Cottage Grove is doing its part to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and unfortunately, that means closing River Oaks until March 29th. It is such a shame that right when it seems that the Twin Cities is at the cusp of what seems like an early golf season we find our selves amid a national health emergency. Most public places are being avoided at all costs, events are being canceled, kids are out of school and people are working from home. It is a rather strange time . . . but what will all this mean for the golf season?

Well, the PGA has closed down in response to the coronavirus and some golf clubs around the nation are following suit. It is even questionable if there will be a Masters this year. 

Who knows what this national emergency will look like in two weeks? It could get better or worse, but either way, it doesn’t look like the virus is going away anytime soon. Even when we can all come out of quarantine (whenever that may be) we will still have to practice our social distancing. 

The truth is golf is a very low-risk scenario when it comes to spreading the virus, but that doesn’t mean that golf goes without any risk. When River Oaks does officially open up it’s the course for the season it will be good to implement these social distancing practices on the golf course.

Tips for golfing with the coronavirus:

  1. Golf can be a solitary sport, try golfing alone.
  2. If you are golfing with others, avoid the 18th green handshakes.
  3. Store a bottle of hand sanitizer in your golf bag.
  4. Wipe down your club handles and golf bag with alcohol wipes.
  5. Avoid picking up random golf balls you find on the course.
  6. Wipe down seat, steering wheels, handles, and cup holders if you take a cart or perhaps consider walking.
  7. Leave the cellphone in the car.
  8. Consider washing or sanitizing your golf glove before and after your round.

Following these simple tips will further help prevent the spread of COVID-19 once our golf season starts. The golf season will come. Everyone at River Oaks is anticipating and preparing for the day that we can finally open the course, but the health and safety of our customers mean a lot to us and we will work to continue to provide a safe environment and serve the needs of our customers as best as we can.