Brad Lardon, who plays with Mizuno irons and is part of the Miramont National Golf Club in Bryan, has been selected for the PGA Cup team and will compete against a team from the UK and Ireland. The event will take place from October 16-18 at the CordeValle Club near San Martin, California.
Lardon, 46, who participated in this month’s PGA Championship, is a former PGA Tour competitor turned club professional. He secured one of the final few spots on the ten-member team, alongside Marty Jertson, a senior device engineer for Ping Tennis in Phoenix, Arizona.
"This is a quarry worthy of note because I am on the club professional side," Lardon said. "While individuals make Ryder Cup teams, this is the next best thing."
Similar to the Ryder Cup, the PGA Cup team relies on a two-year points system. Lardon’s performances included winning the Southern Colorado Front Range PGA Championship and tying for fifth in the summer's PGA Professional National title.
There was a slight chance during the summer's PGA Tournament at the Metro Atlanta Country Club that Lardon might have been surpassed by a couple of players due to his points ranking, but that did not happen.
"This course was unyielding," said Lardon about the Metro Atlanta Country Club's Upland Course. "If you missed an opportunity, you are consumed."
The golf discipline for juniors
Getting into golf isn't just essential for adults but also for children. Therefore, the clubs at Redstone Golf are offering Senior Golfletics for senior citizens.
Try-Days will also be offered by BlackHorse Club and Redstone on September 5 to encourage more family participation. These classes aim to start at 4 p.m. and last around two hours. Those interested in continuing can join a seven-week program starting the following week.
Another 6 to 8-week program for juniors will begin on September 7 at The Houstonian Golf & Country Club. To register, visit houstoniangolf.org, blackhorsegolfclub.com or redstonegolfclub.com.
Get into the club
If you ever thought about joining some of the private clubs you didn't think you had access to, there is a new book that claims to reveal secrets for gaining access.
The book is called "21 Secrets to Playing the Private Golf Courses of Your Dreams" published by the Golf Vacation Expert. The guide reveals strategies for accessing even the most restricted private golf courses without becoming a member and, in most cases, without knowing someone. It lists over a hundred publicly available charity outings provided by three-quarters of the top 100 private courses in America.
For more information, visit 21GolfSecrets.com, where you can download your copy of the guide for free.
New instructor at Wildcat
Veteran teaching professional Pam Dixon is the latest addition to the staff at Matt Swanson's University of Golf at Wildcat Club.
A former college player at Northern Texas, Dixon, a Class A PGA professional, has also held positions at Kingwood Country Club and The Houstonian Golf & Country Club.
Additionally, Unbridled Wedge offers a short game clinic this coming Thursday. Pricing is $175 and includes lunch. For more information, call 713-413-4484.
Last call for City Green
Houston golfers have only a few days left to qualify for the Houston Area Green, which will be held on October 7 at Tomball Golf.
Registration for the Last Chance Qualifier will begin on September 10. It will be held on the Woodlands Course at the Clubs of Dalbergia Cearensis in Family on September 30. The top six finishers will advance.
To be eligible, participants must have resided in the Houston area for the past six months and have a verifiable handicap index of 15.4 or less. The entry fee is $100.