Researcher, instructor, speaker, club innovator, author and television personality Dave Pelz will join Illinois State golfing legend D.A. Weibring for the 25th and final Weibring Redbird Classic on August 2, at the Illinois State University Golf Course.
The leader of Pelz Golf gained credibility by working with numerous PGA Tour and LPGA pros. His students have ranged from Jim Simons, Tom Jenkins, Tom Kite, Peter Jacobsen, Steve Elkington, Lee Janzen, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson.
Illinois State head mens golf coach Harland Kilborn is excited about having Pelz on hand to close out the long-standing event.
I think Dave Pelz brings a whole new concept to what we have done over the years, Kilborn said. He is one of the countrys leading instructors and I think everyone will get a kick out of the knowledge and research that Dave Petz has done with the short game of golf. It will be unique for us to have the clinic be instructed by a leading authority. I dont think anybody comes in with a better background than Dave Pelz.
Pelz was a four-year golf letterwinner at Indiana from 1957-61, but left the game after college to become a research scientist and eventually worked at NASA. When he re-entered the game of golf in the mid-1970s as an instructor, Pelz opened the Pelz Golf Institute. Today, Pelz has six Scoring Game Schools around the country, which is devoted to teaching the short game.
An accomplished author, Pelz has written four books all about improving the short game. He has also been a technical advisor and writer for Golf Magazine for more than 20 years and is the host of The Dave Pelz Scoring Game Show on The Golf Channel since 1995. Pelz is also responsible for many innovations and training aids surrounding the teaching of the short game.
In addition to picking up a few pointers from Pelz, players will also be able to thank Weibring for his 25 years of commitment to Illinois State University and its golf programs.
Its amazing when you look back, Kilborn said. I can still remember having to get up in front of the group of people at Crestwicke (Country Club) and how nervous I was. D.A. was a new friend at the time and I was a new coach. I talked about what this might mean for the program and how we were struggling as a team financially. This fundraiser has been such a big step to moving this program forward.
I dont know of any other athlete that has been committed for 25 years like D.A. Weibring has. He has his own family, his own business and his own career and yet to do what he has done for the last 25 years it speaks volumes about what type of person he is, what kind of character he has and what he feels about Illinois State.
There are spots still available for the 25th and final edition of the Weibring Redbird Classic, which will again play as a two-best ball foursome shamble. The event will begin on August 1 at the Crestwicke Country Club with a cocktail party and auction starting at 6:30 p.m.
On August 2, breakfast and registration will begin at 7:30 a.m. at the University Golf Course. At 8 a.m., Weibring and Pelz will host a highly anticipated clinic, which normally costs $8,000 per hour or $25,000 a day for Pelzs golfing instruction. Following the clinic will be the tournament along with a late lunch.
The cost of the event is $450 and to make reservations or for more information please contact Pat Cattron at 309/438-3803 by July 15, or until the 96 positions are filled. In addition to interacting and learning from the likes of Weibring and Pelz, participants will also receive an Adams utility iron as a tee gift.
