Golf Talk Radio M&B - 4/04/2009 - Mark Long - Fred Funk's Caddie/Sky Caddie & John Brooks - Shell Houston Open - Hour 2

Mark Long: PGA TOUR Caddie/SkyGolf Advisory Board Member

Mark Long has been a PGA TOUR Caddie for more than 20 years, and currently carries the bag for PGA TOUR veteran and Champions Tour standout Fred Funk.

Recognized as one of the most respected TOUR Caddies, Mark has been a staff advisor to SkyGolf since 2000, when the initial SkyCaddie model was in development. Mark has been instrumental in developing the SkyCaddie TOUR proven Mapping Methodology -- based on a TOUR Caddie’s perspective. TOUR Caddies walk every yard of the golf course to provide distances their pros can trust, as walking the course is the only way to truly understand the intricacies of a golf course, and SkyGolf is the only company that has adopted this methodology.

Long is the author of several yardage books for TOUR players. In 1998, Mark started authoring yardage books for TOUR pros, by 2001 he perfected his technique, and today is one of the most sought after yardage book authors on TOUR. In fact, Mark authored the USGA yardage book for the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, and will author the USGA yardage book for the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black.

Mark started his competitive golf career as a Terrapin for the University of Maryland under the leadership of Fred Funk. Mark has caddied in over 600 tournaments for Fred Funk and Nolan Henke, including 30 majors. He saw his first caddie win with Nolan Henke and, while with Fred, has seen three PGA TOUR and three Senior Champions Tour wins.

TOUR Proven Mapping:
Only SkyCaddie, after getting permission from each golf club, walks the course with skilled golfers – using sub-meter, survey grade equipment – to record and verify its course information, using the same method trusted by TOUR Caddies, for the game’s best players. Using unverified and possibly out-of-date satellite images is a cost-saving short cut that could produce unfavorable results for both the facility and golfer and could hurt the growth of this category, which is the only growing category in golf. In fact, satellite images are aerial views that are created by IT technicians who don’t necessarily have knowledge about the game of golf.

SkyCaddie professional course mappers have literally walked 23,000 courses using state-of-the-art GPS survey grade equipment to capture distances from every angle on every course. These course mappers are skilled golfers and established caddies that understand what’s important for a golfer to score his or her best.

Avila Beach Golf Resort - www.avilabeachresort.com
Blacklake Golf Resort - www.blacklake.com
Inn at Avila Beach - www.avilabeachca.com
Avila LaFonda Hotel - www.avilalafondahotel.com
Golfland Warehouse - www.golflandwarehouse.com
Slickstix - www.slickstix.com

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