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Golf

Catching Up On Some Golf

The following is a guest contribution from Daniel Elsa.  Feel free to follow him on Twitter at @dboy03.

Oftentimes when exploring destinations to relieve oneself of the stress and daily hassles of life, getaways such as Las Vegas, Nevada are given much thought in exploring. Whether it’s the pitch of Sin City, “What happens, Stays in Vegas”, the land where anything is possible, or maybe both, Vegas is and has been one of the prime destination spots for those whom are at least 21 years old.

Nonetheless, we’ve all had our run-ins with Vegas, whether positive or negative we’ll save for a later discussion, but one location that remains to be overlooked is the Old Blue Course at Wailea Golf Club in Kihei, Hawaii. Home to an extravagantly designed resort course designed by Arthur Jack Snyder in 1972, with tee times set as low as $95, one couldn’t begin to dispute the value of such a once in a lifetime experience. Whether it is the roaring 10,000-foot-high Mt. Haleakala that the course rolls alongside, the bevy of scenic attractions you’ll be witness to, or simply to unwind and enjoy an incredibly stimulating golf course that contains an original lay of the land. Rest assured the vacation is well worth the trip to the Old Blue Course in Kihei, Hawaii.

The Old Blue Course at Wailea Golf Club is open year round, as many others in Hawaii, all of which can be viewed at Hawaii golf courses for your own convenience. Although the extent of the beauty of the course can be seen only in person, a display of the course map can be seen here.

Wyndham Championship

In other related news, the Wyndham Championship came to a close this past weekend with Webb Simpson finishing in first with a score of –18, a mere 3 strokes better than George McNeil who finished in second. Simpson, a native of Raleigh, North Carolina attended Wake Forest University and didn’t need to travel far to compete and eventually win the Wyndham Championship, as it is just a short 1-2 hour car ride from Raleigh to Greensboro. Simpson, prior to the Wyndham Championship, had finished in the top 10 in a total of six golf tournaments with the highest finish being that of second, most recently at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The 2011 Wyndham Championship total purse is $5.2 million dollars, with Simpson slated to take home a cool $936,000 for finishing in first place.

Extended Sponsorship Deal

The Wyndham Championship announced an extension to their tourney sponsorship with Wyndham Worldwide as its title sponsor through 2016. Financial details of the deal however, were not disclosed.

For those interested, a culmination of the entire leader board including the Wyndham Championship and other results of additional tours and scoring can be found at the Golf Channel.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.