San Diego Golf Fest

Are you a golf fan?  March 15th and 16th Golf Fest is coming back to San Diego.  However, there has been a change this year.  You can actually play real golf at the convention for the first time.  The event will be at the Oaks North Executive Golf Course in Rancho Bernardo.  You can keep reading below, and you can find more information at UT San Diego.

For all of the upside of San Diego’s Golf Fest through the years, there was one very obvious piece missing from the shows: real golf.

There was simulated golf and driving range golf and swing analysis golf. But there wasn’t a chance to try a new club on an actual golf hole.

That is changing for the upcoming Golf Fest. The show, set for March 15-16, has moved to the Oaks North Executive Golf Course in Rancho Bernardo, and the promoters came up with the welcomed idea of having a six-hole loop specifically targeting juniors and beginners. The loop, on which instructors will be available every hole, will be open on the Saturday of the event.

On both Friday and Saturday the show runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Beyond the loop, there will be the usual features that have made Golf Fest a popular show: eight of the top manufacturers offering demos of their newest clubs; booths featuring travel, resorts, clothing, tee times; the Hooters Putting Challenge; and a trick-shot show by Peter Longo each day at 1 p.m.

Adults are $10 and children 10 and under are free. Admission includes a free round of golf at Encinitas Ranch for Friday attendees and Twin Oaks for Saturday patrons. The first 250 people each day receive a 2-ball sleeve from Bridgestone.

For more information, go to golffestshows.com.

Stadium Skills Challenge

Inspired by March Madness, Stadium Golf Center is offering up a bracket competition based on its ongoing San Diego Skills Challenge.

There are 16 golfers who have qualified from more than 200 original entrants to compete in “Big Break” style disciplines. The public can visit Stadium’s website (stadiumgolfcenter.com), view a “bracketology” preview show and fill out a bracket. The entrant with the highest-scoring bracket at the end will win a set of TaylorMade Rocketbladez irons.

The bracket competition is free to enter and the deadline is Friday night.

Chip-ins

-- The field for the LPGA’s Kia Classic at Aviara in Carlsbad (March 21-24) is building, and currently 99 of the top 100 money earners from 2012 are entered. The lone holdout at this point is Karen Stupples.

-- There are a limited number of spots available to play in the LPGA’s Kia Classic Pro-Am at Aivara on Wednesday, March 20. For more information, visit kiaclassic.com.

-- The organization Golf to End Cancer is offering an online raffle, and the grand prize is a VIP trip to this year’s Masters. The prize, with an estimated value of $8,500, includes two days of Masters badges for two, accommodations, transportation and Masters gifts.

Raffle tickets are $20 each, three for $50 and 10 for $150. To enter, go to augustatrip2endcancer.com.