Seminar lineup set at Heartland Expo

OKLAHOMA CITY - The Heartland Golf Expo presented by WinStar Golf Course returns with a new Friday Night Party, spectacular savings on equipment and apparel, free lessons from PGA professionals, free golf and Golf Digest subscriptions, entertaining speakers and much, much more.

Expo hours and dates this year are Friday, Feb. 5, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 6, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Expo is again in the Centennial Building at State Fair Park, which offers plenty of free parking.

The Friday Night Party is a new event featuring live music from guitar virtuoso (and golf professional) Mark Galloway, free snacks courtesy of the lovely ladies at Emerson Biggins, $1 beers while they last and special contests, including the opportunity to outdrive World Long Drive Champion Sean "The Beast" Fister (with a considerable head start).

All the other great features of the Expo will be open as well, including the latest technology from major manufacturers in our 100-foot hitting net, the $10,000 putting contest presented by Fairfax Golf Club in which the winner will receive a year's free membership to Fairfax as well as a chance to hit a series of putts for $10 thousand.

The long drive contest this year is sponsored by SilverHorn Golf Club with the winner receiving a free membership for a year. SilverHorn is also giving away a free green fee to every entrant to the Expo. Combine that with your free Golf Digest subscription and free copy of the 2010 South Central Golf Directory and it's like being paid to attend.

General admission tickets are $8 available at the door. Seniors 55 and over are $5 and all attendees to the Friday Night Party from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. are $5. Children 17 and under are free with a paid adult. Discount coupons can be found at www.southcentralgolf.com/expos.

In addition to presenting sponsor WinStar Golf Course & Casino, the Expo is sponsored by WWLS The Sports Animal, The Oklahoman, Cox Media, Golf Digest, Southern Journeys, Fairfax Golf Course, SilverHorn Golf Course and Emerson Biggins.

For booth or sponsorship information, please call 918-280-0787 or go to www.southcentralgolf.com/expos.

Heartland Seminar Schedule set

Some of Oklahoma's top professionals and instructors will be on stage at the Heartland Golf Expo Feb. 5-6 at the Centennial Building at State Fair Park.

In addition, fans will be treated to the awesome power of three-time world long drive champion Sean "The Beast" Fister.

The always engaging Jim Woodward, who has competed successfully on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour and now teaches at Oak Tree National, will be on stage at 1 p.m. Friday, followed by David Edwards of Stillwater, a former member of the famed Oak Tree Gang. Edwards was a four-time winner with 65 top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour and has a victory and five top-10s on the Champions Tour.

Two nationally recognized instructors - E.J. Pfister of Oklahoma City and Marshall Smith of Miami, Okla., highlight Saturday's lineup, along with The Beast, Oklahoma City professional and radio show host Andy Dillard and others.

E.J. Pfister

E.J. Pfister played professional golf for 13 years. He has been recognized as one of the top 100 instructors nationally by Golf Magazine and he works at both Oak Tree National and Gaillardia Golf Club as well as organizing golf instruction and seminars for corporate clients.

Fister's passion is teaching players of all ages and abilities. His secret to successful instruction is the ability to explain the golf swing in a way that everyone can understand. His natural teaching style has been enjoyed by many notable golfers, including Bob Tway, Tom Pernice, Scott McCarron, David Edwards and Dudley Hart.

Sean "The Beast" Fister

Little Rock's own Sean "The Beast" Fister won the Long Drivers' Association Re/Max World Long Drive Championship as recently as 2005 and three times overall (1995, 2001). An entertaining and informative speaker, Fister became the oldest person at 43 to win the world championship. His longest recorded drive is 515 yards and his highest recorded swing speed is 171.2 miles per hour.

Marshall Smith

An Oklahoma legend, Marshall Smith has been teaching the secrets of the game to the greats of the game and the rest of us for more than 60 years. His latest book, "A Lifetime of Lessons" detailes decades of swing tips from the master.

Smith has worn a lot of hats in his career, that of banker, insurance agent, part-owner of the Tulsa Drillers, a motivational speaker, author of three books and a dedicated worker for children's charities. He has been the golf instructor for such luminaries as Chi Chi Rodriguez, Gary Player, Walt Zembriski, Craig Stadler, Glen Day and Matt Gogel and Todd Fisher. One of Mickey Mantle's best friends, Marshall raised thousands of dollars for the Oklahoma Make-A-Wish Foundation through the Mickey Mantle Charity Classic at Shangri-La, which brought hundreds of famous professional athletes to the state. Marshall's philosophy of KISS, keep it simple, stupid, has helped golfers from the PGA Tour to the kid next door make sense of this sometimes indecipherable game.

Andy Dillard

A 21-year professional, Andy Dillard still shares the record for consecutive birdies in the U.S. Open, making six to start his round in the 1992 Open at Pebble Beach. Born in Tyler, Texas, he was a three-time All-American at Oklahoma State from 1981-84. He was the runnerup in the 1982 NCAA Championship, turned pro in 1984 and played on the PGA Tour for three years, the Nationwide Tour for six years and around the world on various tours for 11 years. He is now an instructor and has a golf talk radio show in Oklahoma City.

Jim Woodward

Woody, as he's known to his friends, has been one of the state's best players for decades. After a stint on the PGA Tour, he came back to Oklahoma as the head professional at Gaillardia. Meanwhile, he became one of the dominant players in the PGA South Central Section. He now works as an instructor at Oak Tree National while still playing at a high competitive level in USGA or Champions Tour events when he gets the opportunity. Woodward is a dynamic and informative speaker who weaves instruction in with stories from the tour and his golf life.

David Edwards

Won four times and had 65 top 10 finishes in a PGA Tour career that began in 1980, has also won one tournament and more than $2.6 million on the Champions Tour. He led the tour in driving accuracy in 2008 and the ability to drive the ball straight has always been one of his trademarks. Edwards is currently debating whether to continue his career due to a chronic hand injury. He is always a frank and honest speaker who will give you his opinion on any tour issues of the day as well as instructional tips.

2010 Heartland Golf Expo

Seminar schedule
(all times subject to change)

Friday
Noon, Sean Fister,
1 p.m. Jim Woodward
2 p.m., David Edwards
3 p.m., Marshall Smith
4 p.m., Andy Dillard
5-7:30, Live music from guitar virtuoso Mark Galloway

Saturday
11 a.m., Andy Dillard
Noon, E.J. Pfister
1 p.m. Sean Fister
2 p.m., Marshall Smith
3 p.m., TBA
4 p.m. Sean Fister