COMMUNITY

The Frys.com Open was pleased to be a major sponsor of the Northern California PGA Section’s fundraising event, The Langley. The premier fundraising event is designed to honor golf’s legends, and proceeds are donated to community programs including The Langley Scholarship Fund, and the Folds of Honor Foundation, among others.

This year’s event was held Sunday, August 12th at The Inn at Spanish Bay, followed by the Langley Pro-Am Golf Tournament on Monday, August 13th at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Frys.com Open President, Duke Butler, and several Fry’s Electronics executives enjoyed the opportunity to get close to, and personally meet, the event’s two Honorees – Jack Nicklaus, PGA TOUR Veteran and golf ambassador, and Tom Addis, III, PGA, Past President, PGA of America.

The Frys.com Open is proud of its partnership with the Northern California PGA Section. The NCPGA Section and several of its PGA Professionals actively take part in the Frys.com Open as Ticket Sales Partners.

On February 26, 2012, at the former McClellan Air Force Base outside of Sacramento, Frys.com sponsored a Guinness Book of World Record event featuring KRON-TV Producer John Collins, known as The Paper Airplane Guy and former Cal Football quarterback Joe Ayoob. The pair teamed up to shatter the record for longest paper airplane flight. Ayoob successfully launched the paper airplane for a flight that lasted 226 feet, beating the previous record by 18 feet 8 inches.

Collins has been designing paper airplanes since childhood, like many of us do as kids. However, Collins pushed the envelope, pursuing the world record by studying aerodynamics, trajectories and origami; the Japanese art of folding paper. At 51 years old, knowing he did not have the stamina or strength to challenge the record, Collins sought help from college quarterbacks who understood the importance of balance and arm angle and how crucial those elements are to breaking the current record.

Furthermore, breaking a world record is no walk in park. Guinness has a specific verification process involved with every record attempt including the event being videotaped, witnessed, and measured by a surveyor with a laser. Also, Collins and Ayoob were only allowed 10 official throws, with as many practice throws as they wanted in between to make the slightest corrections in the paper crafts for the best possible flight. The record was made on the fourth throw.

In preparation for the flight, Collins struggled to find the perfect environment and location attempting flights at NASA’s Moffett Field and the Mojave Desert. Frys.com caught wind of the opportunity to help Collins achieve his dream and offered their hangar in Sacramento which houses Fry’s Electronics’ Boeing 747. The hangar’s rounded roof provided the perfect environment for the trajectory of flight Collins was planning, while closing the hangar doors eliminated weather elements and other distractions that could disrupt or ruin the chance of making history.

Officially the world record is written with Ayoob’s name as he was “the arm” which threw the John Collins designed paper airplane, but it took a joint effort and interest for a Guinness world record of 226 ft to be achieved.

To learn how to fold a paper airplane and learn more about the designer, visit John Collins’ website.

On October 2nd, 2011, The First Tee of Silicon Valley community program treated over 350 local youth and 200 adults to a free golf clinic. The clinic was hosted by PGA TOUR professionals Lee Janzen and Joseph Bramlett. Janzen, a two-time winner of the U.S. Open, both in 1993 and 1998, and Bramlett, a native of Silicon Valley, who attended St. Francis High School in Mountain View and played golf for Stanford University.

The young participants, boys and girls ranging from 2nd to 12th grade, learned not only golf swing insight but also about the life skills, important values, and personal anecdotes from each pro. The community event took place at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course located on Hermocilla Way in San Jose.

Both Janzen and Bramlett played in the Frys.com Open later that week at CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin, California, an official PGA TOUR event.

As a life skills program helping to build character in youth through the game of golf, The First Tee makes golf accessible to all youth, regardless of background. Participants learn to appreciate diversity, resolve conflict, build confidence and set goals for their future. Programs focus on Nine Core Values – honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgment.

The First Tee has several chapters in the San Francisco Bay Area including Contra Costa, Monterey County, Oakland, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Tri-Valley. In 2011, The First Tee reached out to over 600 on-course participants and 4,000 youth through outreach programs.

The 2012 PGA TOUR Community Day at CordeValle will take place Wednesday evening, October 10th, 2012. All are welcome to volunteer, donate or provide support to the program. For more information, visit www.thefirstteesiliconvalley.org.