John Rogers started at Lakeview Golf Club (Harrisonburg, Virginia) as an Assistant Pro in 1995. He began teaching in 1996, and became a full-time Teaching Pro in 2001, building a base of clients in the Shenandoah Valley. In 2004 he started writing the column Golf Things Considered, which has elicited responses from around the country. He launched this site in 2007 as a venue for golfers who can find out more about John's instruction, read the column, or just talk about the game we all love. Welcome to John's website.
A Note From John Rogers
The 2008 golf season at
Lakeview is now well under way. It has been an unusually cool and wet spring, which means the rough is really up and the greens are in good shape. Our Course Superintendent, Kurt Hellenga, now in his second full season at Lakeview, has done an excellent job and was recognized state-wide in 2007 for turning the course condition around so dramatically. Lakeview is definitely reemerging as the "flagship" of golf courses in this part of the Shenandoah Valley.
From a teaching standpoint, 2008 is off to a great start. Business is strong, and I'm realizing more than ever how lucky I am to spend my days outside in a beautiful part of the world helping people enjoy life more when they enjoy the game of golf more.
A highlight for me continues to be the progress of
Grady Ruckman, a friend and client who turned pro after graduating from Bridgewater College last year. After pla
ying a Winter Tour in Florida, Grady returned to Lakeview for the spring and began preparing for summer tournaments on the Carolina and Tarheel Tours. On May 19, he took a shot at a Monday Qualifier for a
Hooters Tour event at Lake Chesdin, outside of Richmond. He made it, and was paired for the first two days of the tournament with a former PGA Tour player and a former Virginia State Open Champion. On May 22 and 23, Grady posted 74-73 at Lake Chesdin, a target-golf course with amazing greens. He fell two shots short of the cut, but finished ahead of the former Tour player and struck the ball better than the other player, who ended up finishing second in the tournament. It was a great experience for Grady, and it was a lot of fun for his coach/caddie to watch him become more comfortable and play better as the week passed. Next stop: a Tarheel Tour event at Spring Creek in June.
I recently made a short trip over to Sunnyside retirement community for a clinic on putting. There were some long-time Lakeview patrons, and some friendly people I met for the first time. We talked about swinging the putter in a straight line versus swinging it in an arc, we talked about the importance of speed-control, and we did a series of drills to practice a better stroke. Finally, we had a putting competition, which was won by our only lefty, Bob Field. It was a gorgeous May day at the Highlands, and I was glad to spend an hour and a half there.
Upcoming events: the Lakeview Amateur on May 31-June 1. The field will be weaker this year without Grady Ruckman (no longer an amateur) and Timmy Driver, a strong player at JMU who will be preparing for a U.S. Open sectional qualifier on June 2. In 2007, Timmy qualified for the elite USGA Public Links in Chicago, and it would be an incredible achievement for a local golfer to make the U.S. Open. The Lakeview Amateur will miss those guys, but it should be a great event, especially the way Kurt is getting the course playing.
Also coming up: the Lakeview Junior Golf Camp on June 24-26. Open to golfers from ages 9 to 17, cost of $50, and it runs from 9 AM-1 PM each day, with lunch included. Sign up at the pro-shop, or download a registration from the
Lakeview website. If you have questions, please call the pro-shop at 540-434-8937, or contact Greg Hooke:
lakeviewgolf@gmail.com
Finally, it is a goal of mine this season to write more of my
Golf Things Considered articles. I have not been writing them for a year now, but look for some new topics and instructional columns in the near future. In the meantime, please
contact me if there is anything I can do for you. 540-421-4270. Hope to see you on the course!
__________________________________________________________ John S. Rogers Teaching Professional
Lakeview Golf Club
4101 Shen Lake Drive
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22801
Mobile Phone: 540-421-4270
Clubhouse Phone: 540-434-8937
Email: John@RogersGolf.net
Alternate Email: JSpencerRogers@msn.com