By Bruce Meadows
PGA scholarship for Steiner . . .
Patrick Steiner is an assistant pro at Windsor Golf Course and, it would appear, a young man with a bright future in the game.
The NCPGA has announced that the 27-year-old Steiner is one of three recipients of the Chris Thomas PGA Associate Scholarships
According to Patrick, “this scholarship will help me greatly by easing the financial burden of traveling to Florida for my Level 2 testing, in purchasing material for my Level 2 and Level 3 courses, and would help me tremendously as I love forward to pursue my dream of being a head PGA professional in the sport I love.”
He goes on to say, “My immediate plan in the PGA is to become a Class A Member by 2021. In the future, I plan on going where the golf road takes me in order to become a head professional. I plan on being a PGA Member for life and hope to grow the game and meet good people along the way.”
Pat has been playing golf since he was 12 and started working outside services at Windsor GC when he was 17. Following graduation from Windsor High, he played two years while attending Santa Rosa JC and one year at Cal State Monterey Bay.
“At the age of 21 I started working in the pro shop as an assistant professional at Windsor. I then got lucky in getting a role in the Footjoy Hyperflex commercial which played on The Golf Channel for a year or so in 2015,” says Patrick. “After that I decided that I wanted to do golf for the rest of my life and worked on getting my three levels done in the PGA program (which I’m in the middle of) to ultimately get my Class A card in order to become a head professional at a course someday.
“I’ve been the assistant pro at Windsor GC for the past 6 years, and I’m planning on finishing all three PGA levels by the end of next year (2020) and grow from there.”
Patrick had plenty of endorsements by fellow golfers.
From Windsor head pro Jason Schmuhl: “I have known Patrick for over 10 years. During this time I have always been impressed by the way Patrick carries himself and his passion for the game. When Patrick told me that he wanted to get in to the golf industry and become a PGA Professionals I knew that he would make a good one.
“He possesses all the skills that one needs to succeed as a PGA Professional. He works well with others, is great with customers, well organized, a leader, a problem solver, and loves the game of golf. It is rare to have an employee and person that possesses all of the qualities Patrick has brought to Windsor GC over the years.”
From Foxtail head pro Matt Anderson: “I first met Patrick about 5 years ago through our local church and later connected again through golf. In those 5 years, I’ve seen Patrick’s passion for the game grow as well as his own game sparkle. Patrick has been a staple to Windsor GC operations and from what I’ve seen, he is willing to do whatever the course needs to be successful. I believe Patrick would make an excellent asset to The PGA and would be instrumental in growing the game in Sonoma County.”
“I’ve worked in the golf industry since I was 17, and I quickly saw how golfers behaved in such a professional and courteous manner. My experience with former and current PGA members has always been memorable and that’s what made me interested in the PGA,” explains Patrick.
“My current boss and head professional Jason Schmuhl then told me about the PGA and how it could help me in pursuing my dream of being a head professional. Then I saw the impact of the PGA in the golf community as well as the importance of the PGA in growing the game of golf,” explains Patrick.
“The PGA as a whole has so many great attributes to golf that I couldn’t see myself doing anything else at this point in my life other than becoming a PGA Member and working in golf.”
Worth a look . . .
If you like golf and like enjoy outstanding writing with a humorous touch, check out “Commander in Cheat,” by golf writer Rick Riley.
If you’re a supporter of Donald Trump, you may not appreciate what Riley chooses to divulge about Trump and his golf game, but most if not all of the details are substantiated . . . and revealing.
Riley chronicles and documents many of the stories about Trump and his well-known tendency to bend the rules . . . or more simply, cheat.
There are too many really good revelations to even start mentioning here, but let’s just say while you may or may not be surprised, I don’t know how you would not be amused.
For instance, of the 18 “club championships” claimed by Trump, Riley attacks the list event by event and pretty much tears it down to a few “senior titles”. He apparently has a habit of playing one of his newly opened courses, saying that constitutes the “club championship,” and insists a plaque be put on the wall signifying his accomplishment. One of the “club championships” reportedly happened on a Trump course that hadn’t even opened yet.
Caddies at Winged Foot GC have a nickname for Trump and his efforts to improve his lie by kicking his ball out of the rough and onto the fairway . . . the nickname they gave him is Pele’.
There are stories about Trump taking three or more shots off the tee – and not counting them — when he doesn’t like his first efforts.
Riley goes on to talk about Trump taking his golf cart ON the green, an incredibly thoughtless violation. He also talks about Trump, if he’s behind a group about to tee off, simply driving his cart on the tee and teeing it up himself, then playing on.
There is a segment about him taking an 80-year old British family crest and making it look like a Trump crest by adding his name and some other words. He replaced the original word on the British crest “integritas” (integrity) with the word “Trump” and had it displayed on flags, signs, towels, golf balls . . . even on toilet paper!
He never asked permission to use the crest, which belonged to the Davies family. Joseph Davies was a former ambassador to Belgium and a special envoy to Harry Truman.
He might have had to asked permission of Davies’ grandson, Joseph Tydings, a Democrat and former U.S. Senator from Maryland. Tydings, when asked about the situation, indicated “you don’t sue Trump . . . you could be in court for years.”
Our current president is famous for his “Trump Bump,” which can magically turn a 79 into a 72. Trumps claims to be a 2.8 handicap but is more a 10 or 11 by most accounts, which in itself is a handicap a lot of golfers wouldn’t mind claiming.
Trump once played with legendary Lee Trevino, who shot a 72. When Trump later introduced Trevino, he said “this is the great Lee Trevino . . . he just shot a 70.”
As the day went, on Trump kept changing Trevino’s score, first to 68, then 66. According to Trevino, “I figured I had to get out of there before I broke the course record!”
Hey, I’m only halfway through the book and really looking forward to the rest of it.
You certainly don’t have to read the book or agree with it, but if it’s a little bit true that golf can reflect the kind of person you are, Riley seems to have done an exceptional job portraying the subject of “Commander in Cheat.”
Windsor Summer Camp . . .
Windsor GC is offering its last Summer Junior Camp Aug. 6-8. Camp times are all 9-11:30 a.m. Classes are for ages 6-12.
All aspects of the game will be taught, including rules, etiquette and course management. Cost is $100 per student, and includes range balls and all equipment. Call Demian at 838-7888.
At Rooster Run . . .
Rooster Run PGA pro Dave Johnson continues with his summer junior golf camp schedule. His camps are in their 15th year. The last half- and full-day camp is Aug. 5-9.
Cost is $295 for half-day 9-noon) camps, which include nine holes of golf; full-day camps (9-4) are $425 and also include nine holes of golf.
For more information or to sign up, call 707-484-0467 or go to davejohnsongolf72@yahoo.com
Oakmont summer camp . . .
The final junior summer camp at Oakmont is Summer camp registration is July 29-Aug. 2.
Half-day (9-noon) sessions are co-educational, ages 7-13. Full-day (9 a.m.-4 p.m.) for ages 7-17. All abilities welcome; small-group instruction followed by daily instruction on course; cost includes mid-morning snack and lunch. Participants should make sure to have both health insurance info and phone numbers available when registering. For details, contact Rebecka Heimert, at rebeckaheinmert@mac.com
Glow Ball events scheduled . . .
Fairgrounds Golf Course recently held its first Glow Ball event of 2019, which proved quite popular.
There are three more on tap, all scheduled on Fridays, Aug. 30, Sept. 27 and Oct. 25. Sign up in the Pro Shop, or call 284-3520.
Also, to accommodate horse racing during the Sonoma County Fair, Fairgrounds GC will be closed after play Sunday, July 28, and re-open Tuesday, Aug. 13.
Plans call to aerate greens, add greens to all bunkers and do additional work on tee areas, fairways and the rough.
Worth noting . . .
Real nice story in the PD by Kerry Benefield about former St. Vincent student-athlete Jessica Maynard, who recently won her first pro golf tournament, the Northwest Women’s Open in June in Federal Way, Wash.
It should be noted that Jessica, now living in Texas, is a former student of local LPGA teaching pro Jessica Reese Quayle.
Let’s hear from you . . .
Thanks again for comments, questions and suggestions. I love to get them and would really like to get more. If you have information about anything golf-related, including upcoming activities or tournaments or sales, please let me know. And if you have questions, complaints or compliments about golf in our area, I’d love to hear them.
If you have a golfer you know who you think would be an interesting story. Tell me about it. 
Having trouble with your game? Let me know what it is and I’ll try to get a sensible answer for you from a local pro.
And if you have any thoughts on the pending Oakmont GC sale, let me know what you think.
And we would be proud to include you as one of our sponsors – thanks to Bill Carson at Wine Country Golf for his continued support – so if you care to get some details about being a sponsor of GOLF 707, email me at bmeadows4sports@aol.com