2021 Golftime Midwest Spring Preview issue

PREVIEW 2021

MIDWEST

Patriot Games Michigan’s American Dunes Golf Club Will Make You Stand Up & Salute

RYDER REDUX

On at It’s Game aits Str Whistling

FEELING MINNESOTA

You’ll Fall in Love With This Collection of Great Northern Golf

INSIDE THE EMERALD ISLE

Tour the World’s No. 1 Course & Much More www.golftimemag.com

THE CLUB AT

LAC LA BELLE

clubatlaclabelle.com | Oconomowoc, WI

Contents

Everybody’s All-American 24 See why Michigan’s American Dunes is the nation’s hottest new property

Land of Giants 34

Northern Minnesota’s Giants Ridge headlines larger-than-life courses

Simply Torrid Torrey 50

We take you on a tour of SoCal’s steamiest public property

58 Irish Ayes

There’s no saying no to the Emerald Isle’s uncommonly awesome golf

70 (Still) Worth the Wait Ryder Cup ready for take two at Whistling Straits

76 Simulation Nation

Winter weather and a global pandemic have made the game a hit at home, too

Volume 16, Issue 1

Editor’s Note

6

72 Pro Golf Preview

Bump & Run

8

86 Midwest Select

Instructor’s Corner

18

Rules of the Game 23

Your guide to Chicagoland and surrounding area golf

96 The Back Nine

Equipment 80 ON THE COVER: Let your flag fly at the most proudly patriotic course on the planet, American Dunes.

THIS SPREAD: Minnesota is home to raw, rugged and flat-out gorgeous golf, like the Wilderness at Fortune Bay.

Editor’s Note

A Division of Killarney Golf Media, Inc. P.O. Box 14439 Madison, WI 53708

Phone: 608-280-8800 Fax: 866-877-9879

PRESIDENT John Hughes

GENERAL MANAGER Jim Kelsh

jim@killarneygolfmedia.com

MARKETING DIRECTOR AND SALES Sarah Starmer

sarah@killarneygolfmedia.com

EDITOR Don Shell

editor@golftimemag.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Gary D’Amato Danny Freels Rob Hernandez Dennis McCann

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Nile Young Jr.

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Muddy Creek Creative

FOUNDER Kim Thompson

©Copyright 2021 Golftime All rights reserved.

Golftime is not responsible or liable for any errors, omissions or changes in information.

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W

elcome, friends, to the 2021 Preview Issue of Golftime Magazine. Let me begin by addressing the elephant in our proverbial room: We aren’t out of the woods yet.

We have a global pandemic now entering its second year this month, which has unmoored us all from our daily lives, and tragically taken the lives and livelihoods of so many. It’s been deeply felt here on the our team, from the cancelling of our beloved golf show season, to several members of the Golftime family battling the disease themselves. (All are thankfully on the road to recovery.)

Amid all this, we have signs of hope, coming, as they so often do, on the warmer wings of springtime. For so many of us, the game was a saving grace during the past year, a rare respite from all the world’s troubles. That’s great news for golf, and we offer excellent testaments to the game’s resiliency, history, and its future in this issue.

We bring you probably the most patriotic track in the country in our cover feature, a look at the incredible new American Dunes Golf Club. Jack Nicklaus took an existing course and peeled back the surface to show the true beauty underneath, not unlike the character we’ve shown as a nation. Don’t miss our feature on the America’s hottest new property, starting on page 24.

From the shores of Lake Michigan with American Dunes, we also take you to the crashing cliffs of the Pacific, with Rob Hernandez’s visit to triumphant Torrey Pines, starting on page 50. But our tour of the world’s best beachfront golf doesn’t stop there. From the Pacific we head across to the Atlantic, with a look at some of Ireland’s greatest golf, including world No. 1, Royal County Down, starting on page 58.

There’s much more in store this issue, including a closeup with the best Minnesota has to offer, by Mr. Gary D’Amato. Don’t miss his look at what’s nice up north, starting on page 34.

We also take a look at the rebooted Ryder Cup, with the tournament rescheduled to this year in hopes of playing in a post-pandemic world. Read the latest starting on page 70. We have more, of course, like the best new equipment (page 80), a virtual look at the indoor simulator craze (page 76), and we proudly introduce a great new teaching pro to our Instructor’s Corner, IronWorks Golf Academy’s Pam Saladino, starting on page 18.

Most of all, what we have in this issue is hope. Hope for better games, and brighter days. Stay safe, stay well, and thanks for reading.

MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF LAKESIDE LODGING | GOLF WATERSPORTS | SPA

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Photo by Nile Young Jr.

Bump & Run NEWS & NOTES FROM THE WORLD OF GOLF

COURSE OF THE WORLD: ‘Point’ of No Return

You won’t want to find your way home from Bermuda’s Tucker’s Point Some 650 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, seemingly in the middle of the wide, blue Atlantic, lies a beautiful little outpost island called Bermuda. On the northeastern end of the fishhook-shaped island, is the regal Rosewood Bermuda Resort, home to Tucker’s Point Golf Club. Named after one of the island’s first

governors, Daniel Tucker (who founded nearby Tucker’s Town in 1616), Tucker’s Point was built in 1932 by architect Charles H. Banks. Robert Trent Jones protegé Roger Rulewich redesigned it in 2002, mixing modern design with classic-course cool and stunning seaside views. Bon voyage.

Visit tuckerspoint.com for more information.

Springs Course - Architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr. North Nine Course - Architects Roger Packard and Andy North

Both Rated

by Golf Digest

UNPLUG AND ENJOY A Peaceful Getaway at The House on the Rock Resort The House on the Rock Resort combines championship golf with breathtaking views and fantastic amenities. While designing 27 holes of golf, three prestigious golf course architects took advantage of the amazing natural surroundings. The House on the Rock Resort offers flexible packages, dining, 80 suites, a Spa, Indoor/Outdoor pools, and a Fitness Center.

Enjoy the scenic drift-less area with unique sites like: The House on the Rock, American Players Theater, and Taliesin. Join us for an unforgettable Couples getaway, buddies trip, or family vacation. Visit our website at www.thehouseontherock.com for details and descriptions. The House on the Rock Resort is located just 35 minutes west of Madison along the Wisconsin River.

www.thehouseontherock.com | 608-588-7000 | 400 Springs Dr., Spring Green, WI 53588

Images Courtesy NASA

Bump & Run

Moon Shot

Alan Shepard hit his otherworldly ‘bunker’ shots 50 years ago On Feb. 6, 1971, Alan Shepard gripped his Wilson six-iron tightly, swung mightily and hit the most famous “bunker” shot in history — from the face of the moon.

Near the end of the Apollo 14 mission, Shepard pulled two balls and a makeshift club (a lunar equipment pole and Wilson six-iron head) from his sock, which he’d smuggled into space with him.

“Houston, you might recognize what I have in my hand as the contingency sample return; it just so happens to have a genuine 6-iron on the bottom of it,” Shepard said. “In my left hand, I have a little white pellet that’s familiar to millions of Americans.”

He caught mostly crater on his first two attempts, while the third shot he later called a shank (it went all of 24 yards). He finally made “contact” on his

final shot, hitting it as flush as a guy can while swinging one-handed in a 180-pound spacesuit. That one people joked “was probably still going,” in the moon’s low gravity, but scientists recently recorded its official distance: 40 yards.

One small shot for man, one giant swing for mankind.

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Bump & Run

SIMply Serious Sequel

TaylorMade’s new SIM2 driver doubles down on distance

Following its groundbreaking SIM driver line isn’t easy, but the team at TaylorMade doubled down on every facet of the line with the new SIM2, which is being hailed as a superior sequel in every way. The new club removes the majority of the titanium (and weight), redistributing that weight to maximize power, reduce spin, and increase forgiveness.

It’s clear the club maker has a huge hit with the SIM2, SIM2 Max and slice-stopping SIM2 Max-D. Bring it on. ($529.) taylormadegolf.com. For more of the year’s hottest gear, see page 80.

The Long & Short of Things

USGA, R&A considering limiting pro equipment A few years ago I was fortunate to sit down with Pete Dye, riding in a cart with him around his Brickyard Crossing Golf Club in Speedway, Indiana. Among other things, we talked at length about the length that’s undermining the greatest golf courses on the planet. He had a simple solution.

“That tournament down in Augusta,” he told me, “they could just say, ‘If you want to come play in our tournament, this is the ball you’re going to use.’ It’s that simple.”

Pete’s point was well taken, and this year it seems the USGA and the R&A have taken notice, jointly announcing they are proposing equipment standards changes.

The governing bodies released their “Distance Insights Project,” last year, which showed the continuing increase in pro golfers’ length was “detrimental’ to the game.

They announced three proposed changes: 1.

2.

3.

A limit on the maximum driver length from 48 inches to 46 inches. U.S. Open champ Bryson DeChambeau is one of several top-tier players who’ve tried the longer drivers in search of more length.

Changes to how drivers and balls are tested for distance.

The driver-length maximum will have a one-month review period, while the other testing proposals will be reviewed over six months.

What do you think? Email editor@golftimemag.com.

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MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

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Bump & Run

REGIONAL ROUNDUP The latest golf news around the Great Lakes

Bay Harbor’s 25th Birthday It’s hard to believe, but one of the Midwest’s most beautiful courses is turning 25 this year.

Bay Harbor Golf Club (above), the stunning Arthur Hills design in Bay Harbor, Michigan, is the biggest jewel in the Boyne Resorts crown, and looks better than ever. The highly acclaimed club, which feature 27 holes among its Preserve, Links and Quarry nines, is celebrating with a variety of events and specials throughout the year. Visit www.bayharborgolf. com for more information.

SentryWorld Slated for Senior Open After a significant renovation the past few years and sitting out the entire 2020 season due to the pandemic, SentryWorld, is ready to regain the spotlight. The USGA announced earlier this year that SentryWorld, in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, would be the host site for the 2023 U.S. Senior Open. The national championship will be held from June 29-July 2, 2023. www.sentryworld.com.

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MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

Bump & Run

Big names opening short courses this spring

The terrific, short-course craze continues in 2021, with two exciting new projects opening in Wisconsin this season.

The Baths of Blackwolf Run (right), is a new 10-hole short-shotter Pete Dye protegé Chris Lutzke designed to add to Kohler’s crown. Tucked into 27 acres between the first and 11th holes of the Meadow Valleys course, The Baths of Blackwolf Run is named as an homage to Kohler’s history.

The new par-3 course has 10 holes from 60 to 160 yards, and allows for three, six, or 12-hole experiences. It has four water features and a 2-acre putting course, to boot.

Also opening this season is the Andy North-designed 12North, a new short

course at Trappers Turn in the Wisconsin Dells. The new 12-hole course will feature holes from 140-yards and under, and encourage fun, group-friendly golf of up to eightsomes.

WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

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Instructor’s Corner

Make Way for the Women: 3 Top Swing Tips Need a quick fix? Watch those fundamentals

O

ver the last year, courses have experienced a significant influx in female golfers of all ages and skill levels — a trend golf instructors are excited to see. There’s never been a better time for women and girls to learn or reintroduce themselves to the game of golf, a sport that’s socially distant by nature and almost entirely contact-free.

In 2020, the instructors at Ironworks Golf Academy in Beloit, Wisconsin, worked with more than 400 female golfers to help improve their game. For those participating in the Academy’s various programs including girls’ golf academies, women’s developmental programs, competitive playing practices, business academies and social golf leagues, or for those female golfers who are looking for continuous improvement in their game, Ironworks Golf Academy shares these top tips for a smooth, effective swing:

Tip No. 1 – Pay Attention to Posture It’s common to see golfers bend too much at the knees and not enough from the hips, causing an “up-and-down” movement in the swing that leads to poor ball contact or topped shots. A simple solution: stand tall, pull the shoulders back, and bend from the waist at about 40 degrees. Next, bend at the knees until your weight is centered between your heels and toes. These minor tweaks will promote a more athletic swing, added speed, balance, and great contact with the ball.

Tip No. 2 – Keep Your Lead Arm Strong Collapsing the lead elbow on the backswing is a common mistake for golfers of all ages.

By Pamela Saladino, PGA

This changes the radius of the swing, causing a loss of power and topped shots. Promote swing speed and a longer radius at impact by using your body and the club to create a letter Y and then a letter L. Keeping your elbows and club straight during the takeaway, form a letter Y with your body and the shaft of the club, and push down on the on the grip when the club starts its movement upwards, creating an L with your lead arm and club shaft.

Tip No. 3 – Finish Your Swing An incomplete swing causes loss of speed and poor contact with the ball. To properly finish the swing, rotate your body so 90% of your weight is on your lead foot. If you are a righthanded golfer, you’ll finish with your body pointed to the left of the target. This will promote increased speed and improved balance.

From the youngest junior golfers to the most seasoned pro, Ironworks Golf Academy offers programming specifically designed and customized for female golfers.

For more information or to join a women’s program, visit the Ironworks Golf Academy website at www.ironworksgolfacademy.com.

Pamela Saladino is an LPGA Class A Golf Professional at Ironworks Golf Academy.

An accomplished amateur player, she won a high school state title and also helped lead Lynn University to an NCAA Division II National Championship. She is a Site Director for the LPGA Girls Golf program and leads numerous women’s golf academies.

WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

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Instructor’s Corner

Travis Becker PGA Professional Travis Becker is the Director of Instruction and Club Fitting for the Ironworks Golf Academy located in Beloit, Wisconsin. The Wisconsin PGA voted Travis the Teacher of the Year in both 2015 and 2019. He was also rated by his peers as one of Golf Digest’s “Best Teachers” in the state of Wisconsin. In 2016, Travis was selected by the Golf Channel Academy to become the only lead coach in the state of Wisconsin. In addition, Travis has been recognized

by Titleist as a Top 100 club fitter.

Ironworks Golf Academy

625 3rd St., Suite 100, Beloit, WI 53511 608-473-0095 www.ironworksgolflab.com

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Best golf writers in the state with Gary D’Amato, Rob Hernandez and Dennis McCann. Daily updates on all things golf.

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Rules of the Game

How Well Do You Know Your Rules?

By John Morrissett

1 In stroke play, you hit your approach shot into a red penalty area. In taking lateral relief, you drop a ball that lands inside the two-length relief area but rolls just outside it, but not nearer the hole.

You play the ball, finish the hole, and tee off on the next hole. What is the ruling?

4 Your ball lies in the rough and is resting against a pine cone. You remove the pine cone, but the ball moves. What is the ruling?

A. There is a total penalty of one stroke.

C. There is a one-stroke penalty, and you must play the ball from its new position.

B. There is a total penalty of three strokes.

C. You are disqualified.

Answer: b

A. There is no penalty, and you must play the ball from its new position.

B. There is no penalty, and you must replace the ball.

D. There is a one-stroke penalty, and you must replace the ball.

Answer: d

A. There is no penalty.

5 In stroke play, during play of the 14th hole you realize that you started the round with 15 clubs. What is the penalty and where is it applied?

B. Loss of the hole in match play or a two-stroke penalty in stroke play.

Answer: b

A. Four strokes at the first hole.

B. Two strokes at the first hole and two strokes at the second hole.

3 Your ball lies in a bunker and is resting against a rake. You remove the rake, and the ball rolls two inches, staying in the bunker.

What is the ruling?

D. Two strokes at the 13th hole and two strokes at the 14th hole.

Answer: b

2 Your ball is in a bunker. During your backswing, your club brushes the sand.

What is the ruling?

A. There is no penalty, and you must play the ball from its new position.

B. There is no penalty, and you must replace the ball.

C. There is a one-stroke penalty, and you must play the ball from its new position.

D. There is a one-stroke penalty, and you must replace the ball.

Answer: b

C. Four strokes at the 14th hole.

6 Your ball lies inside a red penalty area and the red stake interferes with your backswing. May you remove it?

A. Yes. B. No. Answer: a John Morrissett is Competitions Director at Erin Hills and former Director of Rules of Golf for the USGA.

WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

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THE

EAGLE HAS LANDED

More than two decades in the making, the new American Dunes Golf Club is a soaring achievement

By Don Shell Photography by Nile Young Jr.

WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

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GRAND HAVEN, Michigan — As the club itself tells it, the history of the amazing new American Dunes Golf Club began in 1965, when Bruce and Jerry Matthews designed the former Grand Haven Golf Club in this sleepy tourist town on the shores of Lake Michigan.

In reality, however, the real history of the club began about 14,000 years ago, when the titanic glaciers covering much of the Midwest began receding, moving ever-so slowly across this region. Those giant sheets of ice began dredging up and gently depositing sandy soil all across West Michigan’s coastline, creating towering dunes, beautiful beaches, and simply one of the most scenic areas in America.

Fast-forward a few thousand years, to a hot July day in 2010. I was riding in a golf cart with then-Major Dan Rooney, during one of his Folds of Honor Foundation’s Patriot Day 26

MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

charity events, at his father John’s Grand Haven Golf Club. The younger Rooney was a hotshot Air Force fighter pilot who’d flown three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, before coming home and eventually creating the Folds of Honor in 2007, providing educational scholarships to spouses and children of America’s deceased and disabled service members. To date the organization has given more than 28,000 scholarships worth more than $140 million.

In addition to being a fighter pilot/philanthropist, Rooney’s also an exceptionally gregarious guy and a PGA professional, to boot.

Our conversation eventually landed on the potential of his father’s golf course. The original routing carved narrow corridors through thousands of tight, towering pines, framing fairly nondescript fairways and pedestrian pushed-up greens.

PREVIOUS SPREAD: American Dunes’ sweeping, 560-yard sixth hole is part of an impressive “Amen Corner”-style stretch on the front nine. ABOVE: The redesign is dramatic for anyone who’d ever played the previous club, nowhere moreso than at the 10th, which now plays over a new lake to a waste-bunkered green, rather than through the tree-lined bowling alley it was previously.

“The land this course is on is phenomenal,” I explained, referring to the vast, sandy dunesland the club calls home. “With the right renovations, this could look like the Pine Valley of the Midwest.”

I wasn’t alone in my assessment, and just over a decade later, with Jack Nicklaus’ genius, thousands of hours of sweat and soil and a few million dollars’ investment, the newly reborn American Dunes Golf Club proves that comparison wasn’t simply hyperbole.

The reimagined, reborn American Dunes is a dramatic departure from the original, replacing the tight, tree-lined course with a

bold, beautiful sandscape that has every corner of the golf world suddenly abuzz.

Nicklaus, who carved out his niche as an architect by building bold, fearsome courses over the past 40 years, has a kinder, gentler winner this time around.

“If I can take a golf course and make it aesthetically pleasing so people enjoy it, and put good golf shots into that aesthetically pleasing place, I’ve accomplished what all golfers should like,” Nicklaus said. “That’s what I try to do.”

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED The new American Dunes might be one of WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

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The fantastic, 503-yard, par-5 16th hole is part of American Dunes’ sandy, special closing stretch the Bear’s very best designs, a beautiful blend of style and substance, strategy and playability. Now owned by the now Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, American Dunes is designed to draw nationally as well as regionally, and will be a living tribute to fallen or disabled military veterans.

Rooney approached Nicklaus in February 2018 to help turn his struggling Grand Haven Golf Club into American Dunes LLC, a fundraiser for Folds of Honor. Nicklaus listened for a few minutes, cut off Rooney mid-pitch and not only agreed to design the course, but waived his usual $3 million design fee.

“I didn’t get to serve in the military,” Nicklaus said. “I was married when I was 20 years old and (oldest son) Jackie was born when we were 21. But I always loved what the military represented and what they did to protect our freedom. When Dan came down to ask me, I knew there was no way I was going to say no. I was honored that he asked me to be part of it.”

American Dunes honors America’s heroes on-course and off.

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MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

One hundred percent of the profits at American Dunes will go to Folds of Honor.

At 1300 hours (1 p.m.) every day, Taps will be played and the entire course will come to a standstill for 2½ minutes while a bell tolls 13 times, signifying the 13 folds that bring the flag to its triangle shape. Boot-prints are even stamped into the concrete around the clubhouse to honor the fallen.

American Dunes was designed to be a tribute, a symbol. But to be the national draw it was intended to be meant American Dunes needed to be more beauty than beast — a departure from Jack’s architectural trademark for more than four decades.

“I think the average golfer is interested in the experience, interested in having fun with their friends, interested in walking away having (had) an enjoyable day,” Nicklaus said.

It might have been designed with the average player in mind, but that’s the only thing average about American Dunes, which should be on the shortlist of best new designs in the world when it opens its arms to the public May 2.

Grand Haven

Welcome to Coast Guard City, USA

Believe it or not, Grand Haven was a tribute to the military long before American Dunes was growing grass. The charming tourist town is also known as “Coast Guard City, USA,” and home to its annual Coast Guard Festival every summer, spanning the last week of July and first week of August.

Here’s a few other things to see and do-not-miss during your visit:

A DAY AT THE BEACH Grand Haven State Park

EATS & TREATS The Kirby House (above) 2 Washington Ave, Grand Haven A longtime staple on the Grand Haven dining scene, the Kirby House offers fan-favorite cuisine — everything from pizza to stir fry to burritos — in a casual, lively atmosphere.

Ray’s Drive-In 20 N Beacon Blvd, Grand Haven If you want the best burgers, fries and variety of shakes and malts in the Midwest, you simply can’t miss a trip to Ray’s Drive-In. It’s an old-school stop with an out-of-this-world bite of nostalgia.

1001 S Harbor Dr, Grand Haven It’s safe to say you wouldn’t be reading this right now without the 48-acre stretch of golden sandy beach now known as Grand Haven State Park. The park has been rated one of America’s best beaches, played host to professional volleyball circuits, and is a can’t-miss summer hotspot that put the area on the map.

The Musical Fountain 101 N Harbor Dr, Grand Haven Got the kids in tow on your golf trip? Good. Head down to the harbor at nightfall for some family-friendly fun, with the world-famous Grand Haven Musical Fountain. Playing a variety of classic songs perfectly choreographed with dancing water and lights, it’s been a family favorite for nearly 60 years.

Odd Side Ales 41 Washington Ave STE 160, Grand Haven Don’t miss one of Michigan’s best small brewers: Odd Side Ales. Odd Side’s famous for its eclectic recipes, including Frank the Tank IPA, Dank Juice and Bean Flicker Blonde. Yum!

Noto’s at the Bil-Mar 1223 S Harbor Dr, Grand Haven One of the finest restaurants in the area is also the newest, after a fire leveled the original and beloved Bil-Mar. The new Noto’s at the Bil-Mar offers an updated, upscale menu, with an unbeatable view right on the beach.

Tunnel Park (above) 66 N, Lakeshore Ave, Holland Psst. C’mere. Want to know the best-kept secret in all of Lake Michigan’s shoreline? It’s this hidden gem of a beach right here in Holland, just south of Grand Haven. Tunnel Park is a county park with a world-class view and intimate atmosphere. You literally walk through a tunnel underneath a giant dune, only to be met by an incredible panoramic on the other side, in this quiet, cozy beach. But don’t tell anybody, OK? WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: The spectacular, 173-yard, par-3 fourth hole is where the fun begins, and American Dunes’ three-hole “Amen Corner” starts. The tribute to American service is everywhere, including the yardage markers. Lt. Col. Dan Rooney started the Folds of Honor to benefit the children and families of wounded or killed servicemen and women, and American Dunes furthers that mission.

The new course expands on the footprint of the former track by nearly 400 yards, now offering five sets of tees from 4,754 yards to 7,213. Jack and team took out more than 1,000 trees throughout the course, peeling back the turf, and transforming it into the stunning sandscape we see today.

A DAY AT THE BEACH The course bears almost no resemblance to the original, save for a few holes the elder Rooney had redesigned after he bought it in 30

MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

1998. The rest is a complete overhaul and dramatic upgrade, taking nearly two years to complete, as the former Grand Haven GC closed for play in 2018 before its rebirth began in the spring of 2019.

The opening hole is a genteel, 374-yard par 4, with a straight shot framed by a sandy swath all along the left side and grassy mounds on the right. The hole was formerly the redesigned 10th hole of Grand Haven Golf Club, but now provides a fitting opening salvo and preview of what’s to come.

American Dunes might be nearly entirely new, but it also flip-flopped the footprint, with the new No. 10 in place of the old No. 1.

The second hole is a big, beefy, 539yard par 5, wrapping around a lake on the right side, while the 395-yard third offers an expansive view and the first up-close look at Jack’s stellar sandtraps strewn about so liberally here.

But it’s the 173-yard, par-3 fourth hole where the fun really begins.

Perched on one of the highest points in all of Ottawa County, the fourth tee offers a panoramic view of a vast sandscape below you, a three-hole convergence that could be considered American Dunes’ version of Amen Corner.

After the fun-filled fourth, with a tee shot that drops out of the sky to the good-sized (but heavily guarded) green, you backtrack a bit to the tee of the 475-yard, par-4 fifth, which shares a lake and enormous bunker complex with the 560-yard sixth.

Other highlights on the front include the 178-yard, par-3 seventh, which essentially shares a double green with its twin 198-yard 12th hole, and the 413-yard, dogleg-right ninth, which wraps its putter-shaped green around an enormous new lake. But make no mistake, Jack saves the best for the back at American Dunes.

The 10th hole will be an (acid) trip down memory lane for those who played the original course. What was once a tight, tree-lined hallway to a nondescript green, is now a beautiful, 410-yard beast, featuring a forced carry over that lake it shares with No. 9, finishing astride a huge waste bunker guarding the green. Wow. The remainder of the back nine is just as dramatic, with seas of sand around every corner. Nearly every tee shot features a

forced carry over a sandy expanse, from the tight targets of the 381-yard 11th, to the monstrous, 678-yard 13th, a par 5 featuring a wide waste bunker along nearly the entire right side, before culminating in a heavily bunkered, postcard green.

While Nicklaus plays the club’s pacing like a harp throughout — short par 3s followed by big, beefy par 5s and drivable par 4s, and so on — American Dunes’ closing stretch is a crescendo.

The 15th is a stellar, 220-yard par 3 with essentially an island green, awash in a sea of sand, the deceptively small green heavily sloped from back to front. From there you find the club’s terrific twins, the 503yard 16th, and the 429-yard 17th, a pair of fearsome fours that share a massive dune between them.

American Dunes’ finishing hole is an inspiring new take on the original, stretching it from a 450-yard par 4, to a 536-yard, reachable par 5. To get home in two, you’ll need to first navigate the needle-nosed tee shot akin to Augusta’s 18th, followed by a knee-knocking second shot to the small green guarded by the lake it shares with No. 9.

If there’s any doubt about where Jack’s inspiration came from for American Dunes, it’s put to rest and printed on the course scorecard itself.

“I love the game of golf, but I love my country even more,” Nicklaus is quoted in big, bold red.

As you shake the sand from your shoes, unshakable smile still on your face after your round, you know that most of all, American Dunes is the perfect tribute to both.

Visit www.americandunesgolfclub.com for tee times and more information. Gary D’Amato contributed to this report.

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The 436-yard, par-4 seventh hole at Harbor Shores is the No. 1 handicap hole, playing uphill, into the wind, to its lakefront perch 32

MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

Back-to-Back Jack

Nicklaus’s Harbor Shores Golf Club gives Michigan’s western shore a double shot of Jack by Gary D’Amato Ben Hogan winning the 1950 U.S. Open after a near-fatal car accident and Tiger Woods winning the 2019 Masters to end an 11-year drought in the majors were nice comeback stories. But the biggest comeback in golf history may well be the remarkable transformation of a godforsaken site in depressed Benton Harbor.

When Jack Nicklaus first saw the land that would become Harbor Shores, he said, “Where do you expect me to build this golf course?”

Everywhere he turned, he saw the rotting hulks of dilapidated factories and burnedout buildings, dumpsites and tangles of overgrown brush. A section of the land had been designated a Superfund site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Once an industrial hub, Benton Harbor had fallen on hard times. During a severe economic downturn in the mid-1980s, more than 6,000 jobs were lost over an 18-month period. The city shriveled up and left a carcass rotting with crime, drug use, unemployment and desperation.

Whirlpool Corp., one of few companies that didn’t flee the city, and community leaders bet the ranch – in this case, $900 million in strategic investments – on Harbor Shores Resort and a surrounding 550-acre residential and recreational development.

Today, Harbor Shores is a shining example of how a golf course can help transform a community. A portion of green fees are used to maintain Jean Klock Park, its beach and a 12-mile walking path. The park now generates more than $150,000 annually for the city of Benton Harbor.

Revenues above operating expenses are given back to the community for job training and educational programs. The

First Tee of Benton Harbor, headquartered at Harbor Shores, is the only fully subsidized program of its kind in the Midwest. Visiting golfers can stay at The Inn at Harbor Shores, a 92-room luxury hotel, or in villas on the course.

Joshua Doxtator, the general manager at Harbor Shores said three million square feet of industrial waste and materials and contaminated soil – enough to fill a football field 80 feet tall – had to be cleaned up before Nicklaus’ crew could start on the course. In 2008, the property had a state equalized value of $0; by 2017, the same land had a taxable value of nearly $37 million.

Harbor Shores opened in 2010 and has played host to the Senior PGA Championship in even-numbered years since 2012 (last year’s event was canceled by the coronavirus pandemic). It’s a big, brawny championship course that’s a blast to play.

The three-hole stretch starting at No. 7, built along and atop a soaring dune near Lake Michigan, is as good as it gets. The seventh is a short but tricky par-4 with an elevated green featuring a sharply sloped false front. Just beyond is a pristine beach, once strewn with trash and hypodermic needles. The eighth is a dogleg right par 4, with the tee shot struck from the high point of the dune down to a partially hidden fairway. And No. 9 is a dramatic par 5 with another elevated tee box.

As we putted on the 15th green, a couple of kayakers on the once-polluted Paw Paw River paddled closer to watch. It struck me that golfers and kayakers experiencing the great outdoors here once would have been unthinkable.

How’s that for a comeback?

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W ild

AT HEART

Northern Minnesota’s rugged terrain home to a heavenly collection of courses

By Gary D’Amato

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J

effrey Brauer is based in Arlington, Texas, and has designed golf courses across the United States, but when he wants to escape, when he wants to play unhurried golf on courses that engage the senses with their awe-inspiring beauty and rugged charm, he heads to northern Minnesota.

There, in the Mesabi Iron Range, not far from the Boundary Waters, are three blissful courses for which the phrase “golf getaway” could have been invented: The Legend and The Quarry at Giants Ridge in Biwabik and, some 30 miles away, The Wilderness at Fortune Bay in Tower.

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MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

Brauer designed all three, and though there are plenty of other places he could play, few rejuvenate the golf soul as much as these northern stars. They’re hard to get to, easy to fall in love with and impossible to forget.

“I go up every year to play,” Brauer said.

“I just love it. People say, ‘How’d those courses come out so good?’ I say, ‘Listen, living here in Texas, tumbleweed is a specimen tree.’ I could spend all summer up there, where the temperature is perfect and the trees are beautiful.”

I visited Brauer’s playground in late August and came away wondering how these courses aren’t on every golfer’s bucket list.

PREVIOUS SPREAD: The Lanny Wadkins-designed Legend at Giants Ridge has been ranked No. 14 in the golf-rich state of Minnesota. ABOVE: The Legend’s sister course, The Quarry at Giants Ridge, is the state’s top-ranked track — for good reason.

Perhaps it’s because they’re so far off the beaten path that even native Minnesotans don’t know about them. If you don’t fish or play golf, there’s little else to do way up yonder, other than tour the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame down the road in Eveleth.

“I’m from Minnesota and I never heard of this place, and I’m a pretty avid golfer,” said David LeGault of Rochester, who was on a buddies’ golf trip at Giants Ridge. “Every other hole, I was like, ‘Wow!’”

After an early start for the nearly sevenhour drive from Milwaukee, I pulled into the parking lot 45 minutes before my early afternoon tee time at The Legend at Giants Ridge. The Lodge, where I’d be staying for two nights, is conveniently located next to the course. From front door to golf shop, it’s a 45-second walk. You can practically roll out of bed and be on the first tee.

Lanny Wadkins is credited as Brauer’s design consultant on The Legend, which WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

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Going Beyond Golf

Eveleth area known more for world-class hockey than it is for golf The United States Hockey Hall of Fame Museum is located in Eveleth, just 20 minutes from Giants Ridge, and is a must-visit for hockey fans or even those with a casual interest in the sport.

Opened in 1973, the facility features historical displays representing all levels of American hockey and a “Great Wall of Fame” with inductee plaques.

Why Eveleth? The town of 3,600 has a rich hockey tradition and has produced five U.S. Olympians, including Mark Pavelich, who played on the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team that won gold in Lake Placid, New York. Frank Brimsek, an eight-time National Hockey League all-star goalie, also is an Eveleth native.

The museum is located at 801 Hat Trick Ave. Visit www.ushockeyhall.com.

The Soudan Underground Mine State Park is located on the south shore of Lake Vermilion, just a few miles from Tower. The Soudan Mine is known as Minnesota’s oldest, deepest and richest iron mine and has been designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark.

The surface buildings are open to the public and during the summer months there are daily tours of the mine. Visitors are lowered in a mine hoist to Level 27, the mine’s lowest level at 2,341 feet below ground.

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MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

The mine is open daily from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. Visit www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks.

The Bois Forte Heritage Center & Cultural Museum is located on the shores of Lake Vermilion and on the grounds of the Fortune Bay Casino in Tower.

The museum is dedicated to telling the Bois Forte Ojibwe story and offers 3,000 square feet of exhibits, including a birch bark dwelling.

In addition to the exhibits, the museum has a gift shop that contains locally made items from Bois Forte members. Sales benefit local artisans. Visit www.boisforteheritagecenter.com.

In Biwabik, stop for a photo op with Honk the Moose, a statue located in the southeast corner of Carl Schuster Park on Main Street. Honk, an actual moose who came to visit Biwabik in 1915 and was adopted by the town, is the subject of a children’s book by Phil Strong.

PGA legend Lanny Wadkins helped Jeffry Brauer design The Legend, which offers breathtaking scenery, including of the enormous granite craig rising out of the Superior National Forest, the resort’s namesake. opened in 1997 to much fanfare and helped turn a ski resort owned by the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) — and bleeding red ink — into a year-round destination.

The Legend is a big, sprawling course with wide fairways and scenery that can make anyone with an iPhone look like a professional photographer. A granite craig that gives the resort its name rises almost 2,000 feet above Superior National Forest, and the holes meander through the trees along a 7½-mile cart path. Just point and shoot, in any direction.

The course was a large-scale construction project, during which thousands of trees were felled, 500,000 cubic yards of earth was moved and nearly five million pounds of white sand was imported from Ohio to fill

the bunkers. Nothing about it feels contrived, though, which is a nod to Brauer’s skill. The bells and whistles are the native flora and fauna.

Speaking of which, while I relaxed in my cart on one hole on the back nine, admiring the scenery and in no hurry to push the twosome ahead of me, I was distracted by movement to my left. I turned to see a red fox staring up at me, no more than eight or 10 feet away. He circled my cart warily, but didn’t run away even when I got out. Sly is the fox who has learned to stalk golfers for bits of sandwich or a few potato chips thrown his way. Alas, I had no food and he trotted back into the woods, undoubtedly to wait on the next unsuspecting golfers.

My hunch was confirmed later at the Wacootah Grille at The Quarry, where two WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

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ABOVE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: The Brauer-designed Quarry course is the top-ranked public track in all of Minnesota — for good reason. Minnesota’s home to 10,000 lakes, and Giants Ridge is home to two — Sabin and Wynne. The Lodges at Giants Ridge are regally rustic. separate groups of golfers told me they’d encountered the fox on the same tee box.

The Legend encourages you to hit driver on every hole and punishes only shots that are embarrassingly offline. If you can keep it in the same area code, swing away. From the back tees, the course measures 6,930 yards; I played it from the whites (6,112) and found that it offered the right combination of challenging shots and ear-to-ear grins.

The third hole, a dogleg-left par 5, features a 10,000-square-foot fairway bunker in the 40

MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

shape of a giant bear’s paw. Carry the sandy footprint with a draw from the elevated tee and you have a realistic chance of reaching the green in two.

All four of the par 3s are striking, but No. 17 is exceptional for its drama and degree of difficulty. It’s one of the best par 3s I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen thousands. Five tee boxes terraced with huge boulders and flower beds allow distances from 137 yards all the way up to 226. The elevated green is perched on a picturesque peninsula jutting into Sabin

Lake. For fun (in a masochistic way) I hit driver from the back tee and was fortunate to barely carry the water. An ensuing up-anddown par made my day.

One of the challenges for any architect designing two courses on the same property is to make them distinctive. Brauer had no such problem when he built The Quarry, which I played on Day 2. The site is an old sand and gravel quarry a few miles south of The Legend. Where some saw unattractive, environmentally scarred land, Brauer saw opportunity.

“The IRRRB could have done a course with lake views; we were going to string it along the lake,” he said. “Then they had this quarry site. They were really nonplussed about it.

It was so ugly. It needed remediation. I said, ‘Trust me, we can make something out of this. It’s going to be a better deal than another Minnesota Northwoods course.’”

It wasn’t an easy sell. Brauer had to take members of the IRRRB Board to World Woods in Florida and Tobacco Road near Pinehurst, North Carolina, before they could see what he saw.

“We showed them that with the right amount of sand, you can make a fairly playable golf course,” he said. “They wouldn’t have done it if we hadn’t gone there. Seeing is believing, I guess.”

Turned loose on the site, Brauer came up with a marvelous routing, melding sand and turf in a way that gives the course linkslike characteristics. It’s a bold, inventive design and stands in stark contrast to its Northwoods-y companion.

“Probably the nicest compliment I ever got was from Brad Klein, the golf writer,” Brauer said. “He said, ‘You wouldn’t be able to tell me the same guy designed both courses.’ That’s a pretty big compliment to

an architect.”

The Quarry opened in 2004 and was named the best new public course in America that year by Golf Digest. It consistently is ranked the No. 1 public course in Minnesota and is among the state’s most formidable tests, with a course rating of 75.2 and a slope rating of 139 from the back gold tees.

It’s hard to pick a favorite hole, but if pressed I’d give the nod to No. 13, a drivable par 4 of 323 yards from the back tees.

The hole is almost as wide as it is long, with a split fairway offering numerous options and angles for the golfer who wisely chooses to lay up. The diagonal, elevated green is fronted by a sheer eight-foot wall of matted grass that swallows mishit approaches.

“We never even planned that,” Brauer said. “That topography was left over from some sand mining operations. It’s funny, because it didn’t show up on the topo (topographical map). We had a design for the hole but changed it to work around those features.

It was a site that just kept on giving.”

Another hole I loved was No. 9, another short par 4 with a rumpled fairway that narrows dramatically as it approaches the threelobed green. It’s tempting to blast away with driver from the elevated tee, but you’d better hit it on a string.

The 11th hole is a neat par 3, all carry over a sandy waste area to a green set on a diagonal and seemingly as wide as an aircraft carrier. The flagstick was in the right corner, closest to the tee, and I hit 8-iron. Had the flag been in the back left, the hole would have played nearly 40 yards longer and I would have had to hit 5-iron.

The 18th is a difficult dogleg-left par 4 that plays out toward and then along a lake that was once a 550-foot-deep mine pit.

The Wacootah Grille in the clubhouse has WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

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outdoor seating overlooking the water, which makes it the perfect spot for a postround sandwich or beer.

On Day 3, I drove some 30 miles north to The Wilderness at Fortune Bay, a resort owned by the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa that includes a casino, lodging and a marina on Lake Vermilion.

The Wilderness is located just outside of the tiny town of Tower, which owes its establishment to the nearby Soudan Mine. Tower claims the record for the lowest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. east of the Great Plains: minus-60 degrees Fahrenheit. Safe to say nobody teed it up that day.

Fortunately, I encountered Chamber of Commerce weather and played The Wilderness with general manager Ryan Peterson, who once worked as an assistant golf professional at Pine Hills in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Peterson was a gracious host, pointing out features on the golf course I might have missed.

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MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

The course was Brauer’s third design in the region and opened in 2005. Like The Quarry, which opened one year earlier, it was named best new public upscale course by Golf Digest, giving the architect a rare backto-back double. The Wilderness consistently earns high rankings on the magazine “best” lists, including the No. 7 casino course in the U.S. by Golfweek in 2020.

“They interviewed several architects,” Brauer said. “Of course, they had been down to see The Legend and we took them over to see The Quarry, which was under construction. They didn’t want it as hard as The Quarry was going to be and they wanted it harder than The Legend was. It was one of the clearest design briefs I ever had: Split the difference, and you’ll be fine.”

The Wilderness is characterized by elevated tees, white ledgerock outcroppings, wetlands and an abundance of cedars and spruce.

The fifth hole, a medium-length par 4, features a Biarritz green with a four-foot-

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The Fortune Bay Casino is home to 173 guest rooms and suites, five restaurants and more than 800 slots to choose from. The 16th hole at the Brauer-designed Wilderness at Fortune Bay is a beastly, 540-yard par 5. The casino’s blackjack pit lets you try your luck on everything from $3-$500 tables. The 472-yard, par-4 second hole at The Wilderness is quintessential Minnesota golf. deep swale in the middle. The tee box on the par-3 seventh is some 50 feet above the green and offers views over a large wetland to Lake Vermilion in the distance. It’s not unusual to see osprey hunting over the wetland.

There’s a tremendous stretch of holes on the back nine, starting with No. 12, a pretty little par 3 with a peninsula green. The 13th is a short par 4 along the shore of Lake Vermilion, where sightings of ducks, loons, osprey and eagles are common. Nos. 15 and 16 and back-to-back par 5s; both are reachable in two for the big hitter, though the latter features a postage stamp green.

My favorite hole was the ninth, a mediumlength par 4 that opens with a tee shot down into a beautiful valley and then calls for an approach over a pond fed by cascading rapids.

My accommodations were in the comfortable casino hotel, which includes an excellent restaurant, the Sunset Steakhouse. It’s a good thing you never have to leave the property, because there’s not much in the way of fine dining in nearby Tower. In fact, because of the coronavirus pandemic, I had a hard time finding much of anything open off resort, and the casino was mostly empty.

After four days of pleasurable golf on three exceptional courses, I packed up the car and headed home in the early morning dark. The sun was rising when I entered Duluth on Hwy. 53, which twisted steeply downhill toward Lake Superior shimmering in the distance – a poor man’s San Francisco if ever there was one.

Rarely have I felt more alive.

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TEE IT UP IN MINNESOTA Golf in the Heartland

“The STATE of GOLF” - Minnesota www.ExploreMinnesotaGolf.com

www.StateOfGolf.com

The Quarry at Giants Ridge — Peter Wong

We always knew golf was as safe and healthy as any outdoor activity could be – social distancing is built in. Enjoy the Heartland of Golf - Minnesota. Now’s a perfect time to play golf and enjoy the benefits of golf and travel – Minnesota is the golf vacation of a lifetime. Plan your visit and play the bucket list of great Minnesota courses. - By Steve Dowling Minnesota golf is so renown that golfers from all over the world have made it a much sought-after golf destination. Did you know Minnesota is the only state to have hosted all 13 USGA championships plus the Walker Cup, Curtis Cup, Solheim Cup, PGA of America, Woman’s 2019 PGA Championship and others? Last but not least, Minnesota hosted the 2016 Ryder Cup and it’s coming back in 2028! Now Minnesota is the gateway to the 2021 Ryder Cup in Wisconsin.

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QUALITY + VARIETY + VALUE The overall “Quality” of golf in Minnesota is unparalleled. The Minnesota golf landscape constitutes a hall of fame of “Award-Winning” courses. The “Variety” of Minnesota courses is diverse and woven into Mother Nature’s natural beauty. True “Value” is a major attribute of golf in

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PLAY GOLF WHERE THE BEST GOLFERS IN THE WORLD PLAY! The land of 10,000 water holes invites you to test your game at some of the most beautiful and challenging courses in the world — enjoy Minnesota golf. Visit one of out member facilities and experience some of the finest golf in the United States!

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Giants Ridge Giants Ridge is the only Minnesota golf resort that has two courses that each have been named the best public course in the state and have been named to Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses list. In terms of quality and value there are few destinations that can compare to Giants Ridge.

Two 18-hole Courses Lodging Resort Activities

www.giantsridge.com | 800.688.7669

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Madden’s on Gull Lake

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Voted 53rd Best Resort in the World by Conde Nast Traveler readers, Madden’s offers upscale accommodations, dining, endless recreation for golf groups, reunions and retreats. With four on-property courses, Madden’s is a golf destination like no other.

Featuring The Classic at Madden’s (5-Star and Top 100 in US and ‘#1 buddies’ destination in Minnesota’); the historic Pine Beach East, Pine Beach West, and a Social 9, Madden’s offers a course for every golfer. Located in the heart of the Brainerd Lakes area on 1,000 acres with miles of lakeshore, a reputation of gracious hospitality makes Madden’s a world-class destination.

Come for the Golf; Stay for the Rest.

Guest Rooms: 285 63 Holes of Golf Classic Par 72, 7,102 yards

Pine Beach East Par 72, 6,154 yards

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Social 9

Par 27, 1,341 yards

www.maddens.com | 800.233.2934 | 11266 Pine Beach Peninsula, Brainerd

Minnesota National Golf Course Minnesota National Golf Course is a magnificent 27-hole golf course built on 600 lakeside acres in Northern Minnesota’s wilderness, surrounded by towering pines, hardwoods and wildlife. The 18Hole Championship course features bentgrass tees, fairways and greens with Ohio White Sand bunkers and plays over 7,200 yards. TeeTimes Magazine named Minnesota National a Top 10 Golf Resort in the state in 2018; in addition, Twin Cities Golf stated “Minnesota National Golf Course was in the best overall condition of any course we’ve EVER played!”

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www.mnnationalgolfcourse.com | 218.426.4444 | 23247 480th Street, McGregor WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

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EXPLORE MINNESOTA GOLF ALLIANCE

Wilderness at Fortune Bay Plan that perfect golf getaway by booking a Stayand-Play package at The Wilderness at Fortune Bay Resort Casino. Located on beautiful Lake Vermilion, Wilderness continues to garner national awards for its playability, breath-taking views and excellent customer service! This is also an award-winning resort, feature several dining options and 24/7 gaming!

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Breezy Point Resort Breezy Point Resort proudly presents the nationally recognized Deacon’s Lodge an Arnold Palmer Signature Course named in honor of Arnold’s father Deacon “Deke” Palmer. Additionally, Breezy Point offers its original championship course Whitebirch, a fan favorite, and the Traditional course which played host to both Patty Berg and Walter Hagen in the 1920s and 30s.

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Legends Club Legends Golf Club, recognized as National Golf of the Year, is an 18-hole championship course nestled in a wooded, yet marshy, area south of the Twin Cities. It is conveniently located just 2 miles west from Highway I-35, about a 25-minute drive from either downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul and 20 minutes from the Mall of America/MSP Airport. Legends Club is one of the few daily-fee public golf courses where you experience private club feel, amenities and quality. Come add your story to the Legends.

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MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

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Superior National Golf Course The Greatest Golf on the Greatest Lake The 27-hole golf course features the Premier River and Canyon 18 and the fun Mountain 9, which also offers Footgolf. With the Sawtooth Mountains for a backdrop on one side, and Lake Superior on the other, and the Poplar River running throughout, it’s no wonder Superior National is recognized among Minnesota’s Top 10 Destination Golf Courses.

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Bloomington Convention & Visitors Bureau Great Northern Golf Trail This dream itinerary along the Great Northern Golf Trail in Minnesota and Wisconsin will make you a hero among fellow golfers. Your journey starts in Bloomington, MN, home of Mall of America and easily accessible to Minneapolis/St. Paul, and continues on to 13 bucket list Midwestern golf courses. New additions include Deacon’s Lodge, White Eagle GC, SentryWorld, and Erin Hills. Contact us for course openings and personalized 2021 golf packages and pricing.

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SHAD Torrey Pines’ redesigned North Course now just

Out of the

DOWS as special as famed South Course

ByWWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM Rob Hernandez

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LA JOLLA, Calif. – There’s a stretch of fairways at this perpetual postcard known as Torrey Pines that runs closest to the Pacific Ocean, giving golfers the very best of many stunning views of the endless sea bordering one of golf’s most distinguished municipal tracks.

To find this picturesque slice of golfing serenity, however, golfers must do one of two things: Resist the temptation to focus a golf getaway here solely on the worldfamous South Course – the undisputed jewel in the city of San Diego’s golf portfolio, the centerpiece of the annual Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour and, for the second time in 2021, host of the U.S. Open — and give the oft-overlooked North Course a try.

Or find enough time to play both.

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Once they get to Nos. 14, 15 and 16 on the North Course, they won’t be disappointed.

Indeed, this sequence of visual bliss wasn’t showcased in January during the final two rounds of The Farmers. And it won’t help decide a major championship winner in June when the U.S. Open returns to the South Course for the first time since 2008, the year of Tiger Woods’ unforgettable overtime victory against Rocco Mediate.

Tiger prevailed on the first hole of sudden death following what had been an epic 18-hole Monday playoff, featuring three ties and five lead changes, and Woods playing on an injured left knee that would sideline him for the balance of the season.

However, the best views at Torrey Pines are near the end of one of the most pleasant

OPENING SPREAD: Torrey Pines’ redesigned North Course might be more dramatic than its sister South Course, as its 393-yard 16th hole can attest. ABOVE: The South Course still rules the roost at Torrey Pines, as home to the 2021 U.S. Open. surprises in all of golf: the North Course, once upon a time the part of the property most forgot.

“You’re right; it doesn’t have the notoriety the South Course does,” Torrey Pines superintendent Rich McIntosh agreed after hearing an assessment that The North might be one of golf’s most under-appreciated courses. “It’s always been the little brother or the golf course that was just there. If you couldn’t get on the South Course, then you went and played the North.”

Not anymore. Certainly not since 2016, when it kicked to the curb its reputation as

the easier layout following a $12.6 million redesign led by 16-time PGA Tour winner Tom Weiskopf.

The North Course, which debuted at No. 93 in 2019 in Golf Digest’s list of America’s Top 100 Public Courses, was significantly busier than the South Course (No. 36) on the two December days (four days apart) I managed to score matching 11:30 a.m. tee times. That was as much a nod to the lower green fees on the North Course as it was the fact Torrey Pines, like public golf courses everywhere since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, has never been busier on both WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

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The par-3 15th of the North Course offers spectacular views of the Pacific and overlooks nearby La Jolla. sides of its modest clubhouse as it gets set to spend 2021 in the professional golf limelight.

“We had Tom Weiskopf redo the course, but we didn’t really want another South Course that was a U.S. Open-caliber test of golf,” said Scott Bentley, interim deputy director for the city of San Diego’s golf division.

He noted that Weiskopf reduced the number of bunkers (from 59 to 41) and increased the average size of the greens (from 4,500 square feet to 6,400) while stretching the back tees by 200 yards to 7,258.

“We wanted a really good course that was more playable for the average golfer.

As a bucket-list course, with the remodel Weiskopf did, we were able to crack the Top 100 in Golf Digest, and that’s quite a feather in our cap for the North Course.

“It has always probably had better views than the South Course. It’s a little bit lower, 54

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a little closer to the ocean. It has a state park on the north side, which has some incredible views with Torrey Pines State (Reserve). We are seeing a lot of play on the North Course. It’s actually preferred by our resident (golfers). It’s a little more playerfriendly on a day-to-day basis.”

ROUGHING IT IN STYLE Bentley chuckled when he tossed around the phrase “player-friendly” in December because all it takes is one wayward drive for golfers to understand why Torrey Pines is such a revered muni.

“Let people know that if they want a real championship experience, come in late December and early January,” Bentley said.

“You experience what the pros experience.”

More often than not, the absence of pleasure in that experience will be felt in the wrists.

At Torrey Pines, McIntosh and his crew overseeded the warm-weather kikuyu grass with ryegrass that will better withstand the region’s sub-50 overnight temperatures in the winter. The result is a stiff penalty for missing fairways, which are cut just 25-30 yards wide for The Farmers.

“You can compare it to Riviera,” McIntosh said of the Los Angeles-area country club that annually hosts the PGA Tour’s Genesis Invitational a few weeks after The Farmers.

“Riviera’s rough is dependent on what kind of winter they’re having. If it’s really cold, they’re going to have a less penal rough. At Torrey, it’s one of our biggest defenses so overseeding with ryegrasses allows us to get that density and that thick rough that will act as somewhat of a penalty. … That kikuyu is, if not more penal, it’s thick. It grabs your club like Bermuda (grass) does. With that being the base for the rye overseed, it’ll grab your ball if it drops down to the bottom and makes that ryegrass rough definitely more difficult than what you experience in (the upper Midwest).”

Still, it’s no less penal on the North Course than it is on the South. So what makes the latter the layout worthy of hosting a U.S. Open while the former will host a makeshift driving range during the event?

“It’s mostly the 500 or 600 yards that the South Course stretches back to,” Bentley said. “It has more than double the bunkers.

The shape of the greens, they’re not quite as accessible as the North Course. The South Course greens, most of them are elevated quite a bit so shots that don’t land on a green end up in a bunker or they bounce further away from the green.”

McIntosh said: “The South has the teeth.

It’s a difficult golf course.”

City of Golf

San Diego Golf More than Torrey Pines Torrey Pines might be the centerpiece of the city of San Diego’s golf-course offerings, but the two other facilities it owns are worth checking out, interim deputy director of golf Scott Bentley said.

Balboa Park Golf Course (above), located on the eastern edge of the 1,200-acre urban cultural park, is the third-oldest golf course in San Diego. It features an 18-hole championship course and a nine-hole executive course.

“It’s right outside of the downtown with great views of downtown and views of the bay,” Bentley said. “It’s really a fun, little golf course playing through the canyons with all of the scenery.”

Mission Bay Golf Course and Practice Center is located 8.5 miles north of San Diego International Airport. It features a lighted 18-hole, par-58 executive course designed by noted golf course designer Ted Robinson and a driving range.

“We like that as our family golf and practice center,” Bentley said. “Anybody can enjoy that golf course. It’s got four par 4s and 14 par 3s.

You can hit every club in your bag. It’s great for everybody.”

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Like the course it overlooks, the lavish Lodge at Torrey Pines offers unbeatable views of the Pacific, along with the AAA Five Diamond excellence you’d expect.

HIGH-TRAFFIC DESTINATION It’s been that way since the facility opened in 1957 on the coastline property that was once home to Camp Callan, a U.S. Army antiaircraft artillery replacement base during World War II. Torrey Pines became home to what is now the Farmers Insurance Open in 1968 when singer Andy Williams started hosting the event. Weiskopf posted his first PGA Tour victory that year and led a list of champions at Torrey Pines that has included Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson (twice), Phil Mickelson (three times) and Woods, who has won a remarkable seven titles there.

“I always have enjoyed coming here to Torrey Pines,” Woods, who also won the Optimist Junior World Championship there as a 15-year-old in 1991, said before last year’s Farmers. “(I) played here in junior golf and played well here as a professional.

My dad brought me down here when it was the old Andy Williams, so it’s been near and dear to my heart for a number of years.”

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Based on the traffic it sees each year, others share the same fondness for Torrey Pines.

In an average year, McIntosh said, more than 85,000 rounds are played on the North Course while the South Course sees about 70,000 rounds. In 2020, Bentley said, the percentage of resident to non-resident rounds jumped from 70-30 to 80-20 as city golfers took advantage of generous resident rates to practice social distancing against one of golf’s best backdrops.

In 2021, city residents will pay $63 on the South Course Monday through Thursday and $78 Friday through Sunday plus holidays for an 18-hole round that costs non-residents $202 and $252, respectively.

On the North Course, the resident rate is $44 Monday through Thursday and $58 Friday through Sunday plus holidays (nonresidents pay $128 and $160, respectively).

That doesn’t include the $45 non-resident booking fee I paid for the chance to reserve a tee time more than three days in advance.

On the day this story was written (a Friday), there were no tee times available in the threeday window on either course, but openings in 14 tee times on the South Course and 11 on the North Course over the ensuing sevenday window.

“Once we received word we were going to receive the (2008 U.S.) Open, things really changed for the golf course,” Bentley said. “Our target market, knowing that we were going to have the Open, it just kind of elevated everything. We’ve completely revamped what our daily course maintenance is and the product we put out there every day is on a high scale, especially for a municipal course. I feel we are right up there with anybody in how we maintain the courses.”

MAJOR EXPERIENCE THROUGHOUT Wisconsin native Andrew Harmatys, the senior vice president for tournament affairs and events for The Century Club, which runs the Farmers Insurance Open, couldn’t agree more.

“It’s impressive what they do to get it to that level,” Harmatys said of the city of San Diego, which brings superintendents from around the country for tournament week and sets a high maintenance bar for the year around the PGA Tour event. “They set up the North Course and South Course the same – how they’re doing the greens, how they’re mowing the rough. And the North (Course) has come a long way since the Weiskopf (redesign). Players used to look at it as a secondary course they had to play when they came to Torrey Pines.

Since all that took place, there’s nothing but compliments. People are excited and happy to play the North Course.”

It might be a bit of a challenge to play either course until late this fall.

The course closed Jan. 13 - Feb. 1, the day after the final round of The Farmers, with preparations for the U.S. Open beginning on Feb. 5, according to Bentley. It remains to be seen how long the North Course will remain open.

“We’ll still have 18 holes (open) for a while,” he said. “Not knowing yet what the build is going to be like for the U.S. Open and what space they’re going to need on the North Course with the pandemic, we’re not sure when it’s going to close down. We’re going to try our best to keep 18 holes open.

When they do start needing to use some of the holes on the North, we’ll go down to nine holes at some point and then close. We’re not sure what the timing is on that yet.”

Likewise, Bentley said, the business of running a municipal golf course might not return to normal until September. Even then, with the annual overseeding of the North Course scheduled for early October, it could be November before all 36 holes at Torrey Pines are ready for play.

“It’s going to be sometime around Thanksgiving before we have everything back in shape and (can) present a great product on both courses,” said Bentley, who knows the exposure Torrey Pines will get is worth the wait. “It’s extremely important.

To be able to have a PGA Tour event, is really a feather in the city’s cap. And now to have our second U.S. Open, it keeps San Diego at the forefront as a great place to go, a great place to vacation and a great place to play golf.”

For more information and tee times, visit www.torreypinesgolfcourse.com.

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The Emerald Isle

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Awaits Ireland and Northern Ireland offer a magical, magnificent golf experience By Don Shell WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

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NEWCASTLE, Northern Ireland — The cool mist coats you in a thin, salty sheen, like a cloud layer coming to life all around you. The breeze off Dundrum Bay whips your woolen hat and the corners of your coat, an elemental force following you like the ghosts of the game’s legends and lore.

Here, in this quaint corner of a big, emerald isle, on the grounds of the world’s topranked course, a grand old girl named Royal County Down, golf’s ghosts aren’t simply superstition. They’re every bit as true and tangible as the turf you trod upon, this hilly land sprawling out to sea, just below the misty Mountains of Mourne.

We’ve come to these shores to see if golf in Ireland could truly live up to the legend, one filled with endless emerald fairways and craggy cliffs, of frothy pints in low, loud little pubs, of warm welcomes wherever adventure takes us.

What we found was that the legends weren’t only true — they’re even better than imagined.

We were far from alone in our pilgrimage here. The island has been inhabited since at least 10,500 B.C., after a narrow land bridge opened in the Irish Sea between the island and Britain, making it one of the world’s 60

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oldest tourist destinations. As the millennia passed, the land returned to sea, and the people of Ireland built roads, bridges, castles and cities. Somewhere around 140 A.D., the village that would one day be known as Dublin was formed, called Eblana, a humble start to what would one day be one of Europe’s most influential cultural hubs.

Fast-forward to a few hundred years ago or so, when some shepherds across the pond started hitting rocks with their crooks, unwittingly inventing the game of “golf.” The game would be banned by King James II in 1457, only later to revive and thrive across the country, and eventually, elsewhere.

Everywhere.

Golf didn’t find its way to these shores in earnest until the 19th century, when Royal Curragh Golf Club became the first course on the island in 1852. In the nearly 270 years that followed, golf in the country has become nearly as ingrained in the culture here as it

OPENING SPREAD: The misty Mountains of Mourne and Irish Sea provide the stunning backdrop to Royal County Down. LEFT: With the gorse in bloom there’s no prettier place on earth than RCD. BELOW: Ireland’s infamous weather can whip you into a frenzy. has for the cousins across the Irish Sea. Indeed, it’s safe to say if Scotland is the home of golf, Ireland is its seaside summer cottage, a fantastical place full of worldrenowned courses in seemingly every corner.

Tralee. Lahinch. Ballybunion. Old Head. The list goes on and on, an endless array of lush green fairways, folding over every rocky hill and dale across the island. All told there are nearly 400 courses dotting the 32,595 square miles of rugged Irish landscape — comparatively about the size of Indiana, were it surrounded by icy water and emerald-crowned, craggy cliffs.

We’d come to play the best this island — or anywhere, for that matter — has to offer, including a most triumphant trio: a seaside course started by the Jameson Irish Whiskey family, the 2019 British Open course, and the most revered course on the planet — the regal Royal County Down.

estate in 1881, and rebuilt it into a 10-room hotel, before it eventually became property of his uncle, Willie Jameson, a wealthy Dublin socialite and a close friend of British royals.

Today the Jameson family is no longer directly involved, but their influence is found throughout the opulent resort, much like it is everywhere else in Ireland.

Steeped in history, the hotel is a contemporary beauty today, an award-winning, fivediamond affair filled floor-to-ceiling with white marble and glass.

We arrived on a quintessentially Irish fall day, with dense clouds rolling in off the sea and bringing the promise of rain and wind along with them. We were undeterred.

With fine dining in The 1780 or simpler fare in the Jameson Bar or An Sibin Pub, a world-class spa and fitness facility, there’s plenty of things to keep you occupied indoors in inclement weather, if you’re so inclined. But weather wasn’t about to put a damper on our plans, not with the 7,100 yards of beautiful Bernhard Langer-designed golf course awaiting us out back.

BEAUTY BY THE BAY Located just a stone’s throw from Dublin Airport, on a sandy sliver of land called Portmarnock Beach, is the lavish Portmarnock Hotel & Golf Links, a bit of modern convenience and luxury surrounded by old-world charm and rich history.

The hotel itself was started in the 1850s by none other than the John Jameson family, of Jameson Irish Whiskey fame. The legendary founder’s grandson, John Jameson III, moved to St. Marnock in 1847, where he and his wife Anne had five children.

His eldest, John Jameson IV, inherited the WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

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The two-time Masters champion and Ryder Cup captain designed The Links Portmarnock in 1995, and since then has become a staple in Ireland’s championship circuit. Hosting the Ladies Irish Open, Irish Open qualifiers and numerous amateur, PGA and Ladies European Tour events.

While it might lack the pedigree of its famous neighbor, Portmarnock Golf Club, Langer’s Links course is special in its own right.

In a nod to its history, Langer incorporated the resort’s original nine-hole course built by the Jamesons into the design, and the first hole runs alongside the cemetery where members of the famous family came to final rest.

On this early October day, we teed off in the most miserable of conditions; stinging rain, 50 degrees and with 40-mile-an-hour gusts. Undeterred, we headed to the first tee, as the grounds crew shook their heads at us on their way to shelter. That opening hole, a generous, 374-yard par 4, is best known for the graveyard to the right, where many a player’s ball finds a home, right alongside the Jameson family plot.

Langer’s Links plays out like a highlight reel of classic Irish golf — pot bunkers, riveted bunkers, firm fairways, impenetrable fescue — with absolutely stunning dunesland and seaside views, to boot.

On a more favorable day, we would’ve found the course far more forgiving (we each hit driver into the wind on the 211yard, par-3 17th, and only one of us reached CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: You can’t go wrong at The Temple Bar; Dublin’s famous Grafton Street, the Jameson Distillery is a must; the Guinness Storehouse is a beer-drinker’s Disney.

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Drinking in Dublin

The start of an epic golf adventure belongs in the Emerald Isle’s crown jewel One of Europe’s cultural hubs, Dublin is worthy of a trip all its own. In lieu of a longer stay, don’t miss the twin attractions designed to honor Ireland’s unofficial pastime: Drinking.

The Guinness Factory

guinness-storehouse.com No trip to Dublin would be complete without a pint or two in the Guinness Storehouse and factory tour. Like a beer drinker’s Disney World, the factory takes you behind the scenes of the famous beer’s brewing and history. You’ll even learn the proper way to pour a pint of the brew itself. Cheers!

The Jameson Factory

jamesonswhiskey.com It’s no surprise that the makers of one of the world’s finest whiskeys would be the winner of the world’s best distillery tour, but the Jameson Whiskey distillery in Dublin earned a top-ranked double, in 2018 and 2019 by the World Travel Awards. Enjoy a wee nip (or two) of the good stuff while learning the company’s rich past and impressive process.

A Plethora of Pubs As legendary Irish author James Joyce once wrote, “a good puzzle would be to cross Ireland without passing a pub,” and that would be doubly tough in Dublin. Today the city is home to more than 750 establishments of all shapes and sizes. A few favorites include the quintessential Irish pub called the Temple Bar (thetemplebarpub.com), home to 450 (!) different whiskeys, Toners Pub (www.tonerspub.ie), and Dublin’s oldest establishment, the historic Brazen Head (www.brazenheadpub.com), which has been pouring pints since 1198 A.D.!

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the green), but Portmarnock Links was unforgettably fun nonetheless. And being just 15 minutes from Dublin Airport, it’s the perfect bookend to any golf pilgrimage here.

WHAT A ‘RUSH’ Further up the Irish coastline, three hours outside of Dublin and through the towns of Drogheda and Dundalk, past the smokestacks of Belfast and Ballymena, and into the province of Northern Ireland on the shores of the North Atlantic, lies the charming resort town of Portrush.

Down by the seaside, just outside the city’s cobblestone streets full of shops, eateries and amusement park attractions, lies the area’s biggest attraction: Royal Portrush Golf Club. With its Valley and Dunluce Links courses, both designed by Harry S. Colt at the turn of the 20th century, Royal Portrush has become an international draw. Its Dunluce Links course has played host to a long line of championships, from the Irish Open to The Open itself — the first course outside Britain’s mainland to do so, in 1951 — as well as the British Amateur, the Senior British Open, and many others, more than 50 in all. The course is just as relevant today, too, having hosted the 2019 Open, won by Emer-

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ald Islander Shane Lowry, over Brit Tommy Fleetwood.

It’s played host to Portrush’s favorite son and Major champ, Graeme McDowell, and is the home club of Darren Clarke, too. Northern Ireland’s own Rory McIlroy owns the course record on the Dunluce Links, shooting a sterling 61 at the age of 16!

Yet it doesn’t take a golf historian to understand the irresistible draw to Portrush as a championship venue, it only takes two eyes. With soaring cliffs and crashing waves, rolling hills and towering tee shots found throughout, Portrush’s Dunluce Links is spectacular in every way.

That’s not to say it couldn’t be improved upon, of course, and so the course underwent a major renovation en route to the latest Open, hiring architect Martin Ebert to handle the honors. Among the many changes were the complete removal of the original

ABOVE: The stunning new par-3 16th at the Dunluce Links — “Calamity Corner” — requires a knee-knocking tee shot over the chasm. LEFT: Dunluce Castle nearby is an attraction all its own, and visible from the course. (and comparatively weaker) 17th and 18th holes, making way for the Open’s vendor village. Instead, Ebert pilfered some unused acreage from the Valley course to create the new, 592-yard, par-5 serpentine seventh and incredible, 434-yard, par-4 eighth hole, featuring a dramatic drop and forced carry over a chasm.

The club also added tees to nine holes, stretching the course out to a stern, 7,317 yards, added 10 new bunkers and built five new greens. They even added a 65-yard hidden tunnel under the dunes for the Open players, between the 10th green and 11th tee.

The changes took 18 months to make, but the clear consensus was they were worth the wait; Royal Portrush was roundly celebrated for a successful tournament, nearly 70 years

after its last Open.

And while Shane Lowry will replay the highlight reel from his win for years to come, the course is a highlight reel all its own, starting with the uphill, 416-yard, par-4 first hole.

At the fantastic fifth, a 382-yard par 4 that finishes at the shore, you’ll get a glimpse of the links’ namesake: the dramatic ruins of the medieval Dunluce Castle, teetering on the edge of a basalt outcropping overlooking the crashing sea below, between Portrush and the town of Portballintrae.

The 189-yard, par-3 sixth hole is equally stunning, with a panoramic view of the North Atlantic filling your field of vision, and the perfect setup to the stellar new seventh and eighth holes.

The back nine is every bit as dramatic, WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

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Land of ‘Giants’ www.nationaltrust.org.uk/giants-causeway Long, long before golf overtook Ireland’s rugged terrain — only 50 or 60 million years ago — a volcanic uprising underneath what is now Northern Ireland formed and forced nearly 40,000 basalt columns skyward, creating the three-mile-long stretch of towering rock called the Giant’s Causeway. Once believed to be built by giants to cross the sea, it’s now a must-see stop for nearly a million visitors annually, as the island’s only UNESCO World Heritage site.

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particularly in the famous (now) 16th, dubbed “Calamity Corner.” This 236-yard, par-3 knee-knocker forces you play over a chasm to a postcard green perched on a steep hillside. The 405-yard 17th (“Purgatory”) awaits next, with a needle-nosed fairway leading to a drivable green from its towering tee. Lastly, the revamped finishing hole — formerly the 16th — is the 473-yard, diabolical dogleg of a par 4 called Babington’s, after Sir Anthony Brutus Babington, who was instrumental in the course’s creation.

Afterward, as you toast your triumphant rounds in the Babington Room overlooking the course, you’ll intimately understand the irresistible draw to Royal Portrush and the Dunluce Links. It’s a course named for a castle, and fit for a king.

Morris to visit from St Andrews to tweak the design and complete the loop. Old Tom was to be paid “a sum not to exceed £4.”

It was money well spent. Old Tom routed the new layout through the hills and dales spilling out to sea from the mountains, and Royal County Down officially became an 18-hole championship course in July of 1890.

It’s undergone some noticeable nips and tucks since then, notably the new fourth and ninth holes, courtesy of Harry Colt in 1925, and most recently a new 16th hole in 2004.

‘ROYAL’ & ANCIENT Two hours southeast, back through the midweek bustle of Belfast, is the quaint town of Newcastle, in the country’s County Down.

The county was named one of the best places to live in the entire United Kingdom, and it’s little wonder why: County Down is a mythical kingdom all its own, with gleaming cities, majestic mountains and serene seaside towns.

Tucked behind the Mountains of Mourne on the shores of Dundrum Bay might be County Down’s greatest amenity: Royal County Down Golf Club. Built in 1889 within what is now the Murlough Nature Reserve, RCD is ranked the No. 1 golf course in the world, for all the reasons you can see and for many you can only feel by playing it.

The club’s original nine holes were designed by a Scottish schoolteacher named George L. Baillie. Almost immediately after it opened in spring of 1889, its wealthy Belfast investors hired a man named (Old) Tom

The Slieve Donard Resort & Spa Naturally, Royal County Down has been home to a long line of amateur and professional championships through the years, from the Irish Amateur, to the Walker Cup and Senior British Open. It’s also a mustplay for many of the game’s greats when the opportunity arises, often making for a tough, fitting tune-up for The Open.

For most lucky enough to come here, however, Royal County Down remains the main event. Staying at the lavish Slieve Donard Resort & Spa adjacent to the club, you can’t help but feel the electric anticipation on the two-minute walk down the path to the course.

For being the named the finest course in the world, you’d never know it by Royal WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

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The spectacular seaside second hole at Royal County Down is one of a thousand photo opportunities.

County Down’s understated clubhouse, pro shop and simple, unattended starter shack next to the first tee. It’s an unpretentious place, which only lures you into a false sense of security as you prepare to take on the many traps and tricks it has in store for you.

We wisely hired a forecaddie to serve as

Take the Trouble Out of Your Trip For hassle-free travel to the Emerald Isle, we arranged our trip through the U.K.’s premier golf travel experts at The Experience St Andrews. In addition to Scotland’s premier properties including the Old Course itself, The Experience St Andrews offers end-to-end service to Ireland’s greatest golf courses, including accommodations and dedicated travel service.

Visit www.theexperiencestandrews.com.

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our guide around the countless hidden hills, humps and blind shots Royal County Down keeps as its secrets — and to hopefully help us out of trouble amid the thick heather and golden gorse awaiting every miscue along the way. The course serves up nearly a dozen blind shots throughout your round, with only black-and-white striped barber poles and white-painted rocks in an attempt to guide your way. But to virgin eyes, Royal County Down can give you the impression you’ve wandered away from the course confines and are suddenly trapped in Ireland’s rugged, untamed terrain.

All in all, Royal County Down might just be the most uncanny, quirkiest course on the planet, but it only adds to the mystery and charm of the world’s top-ranked track. And from the very first hole, a sprawling, 539-

yard par 5 skirting the shoreline just over the dunes to the right side, we knew we were in for something special.

Indeed, Royal County Down’s fabulous front nine has been called the best in all of golf, with good reason.

After heading out along the shoreline from behind the dunes at the first and second holes, we get our best view of the bay from the elevated tee of the monstrous, 475yard, par-4 third hole. You’ll get another breathtaking view of the bay and the misty mountains beyond from the tee of the terrifying, 229-yard, par-3 fourth hole. The green slopes back to front and off the sides, right into a series of its gnarly pot bunkers.

A little white rock atop a nondescript mound guides the way home at both the 440-yard fifth and 396-yard sixth holes, blind shots even NORAD might have a hard time navigating.

The fabulous front nine concludes with a pair of long par 4s at seven and eight, before bringing you to the tee of the sensational signature hole, the 483-yard, par-4 ninth. It’s one of the most photographed holes in all of golf, for good reason, with the Mountains of Mourne, Dundrum Bay and even the stately spire atop Slieve Donard Hotel filling your field of vision. It’s enough to distract you from the challenge of the hole itself, with — you guessed it — another blind tee shot up and over a massive dune in the middle of the fairway.

Royal County Down’s back nine is highlighted by the “Irish Amen Corner” of the fantastic, 446-yard 13th, the tricky 212-yard 14th, and the serpentine, 468-yard, par-4 15th. Survive that gauntlet (reasonably) unscathed, and you’re in great shape for the finishing stretch, culminating with the spectacular, 548-yard, par-5 finale. With just two par fives on property, providing the bookends to an undoubtedly unforgettable round, the awesome 18th is pockmarked with more than a dozen bunkers on either side of the hole, guarding the severely sloped green — and glory.

The debate rages on in golf circles on which is the better of Northern Ireland’s twin titans, Royal Portrush or Royal County Down. In reality, they are as distinctly different as you’ll find in two links courses — one a dramatic, straightforward test of golf, and the other a beautiful, unfolding mystery.

Ultimately, it’s up to personal preference to decide, as either could easily lay claim to the crown. But like the bewitching dunesland of Royal County Down itself, some mysteries are their own reward.

For more information, visit www.ireland.com.

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Whistling Straits

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MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

2021 Pro Golf Preview

Ryder Cup Reboot Golf world anxiously waiting for Whistling Straits’ do-over

K

eep your fingers crossed, avoid of America, Ryder Cup Europe and PGA walking under ladders and, hope- Tour jointly decided to push back the fully, all of your good luck charms are in event one year. working order. Oh, and mask up. Then, It will still be held at Whistling Straits just then, we might see some normalcy on the rescheduled dates of Sept. 21-26. return to the 2021 Golftime tournament And Wisconsin’s Steve Stricker is still calendar. in charge of the U.S. team, his captaincy Last year COVID-19 ravaged the having been extended one year. world with its impact trickling down to “At the end of the day, we want a everything in our daily lives, including Ryder Cup that will rival all other Ryder our ability to watch and enjoy tourna- Cups in my home state of Wisconsin, ment golf. and now we have the opportunity to Only a handful of professional golf showcase the event as it is meant to be events were conducted in the Golftime seen,” Stricker said. region in 2020 as the pandemic’s reach The hope is that vaccines will neutralcontinued to grow. ize the virus enough so that the event can Nationally, the PGA Tour canceled or be staged with full corporate support and native Jerry Kellyofdefends not one,large but twogalleries, titles in thewhose Midwestpartisan this summercheering postponed Wisconsin two months’ worth tourna— the only player to win two tournaments in the Great Lakes in 2019. ments and when play resumed in June, helps create the atmosphere that makes there were no pro-ams or spectators. the Ryder Cup unique in all of golf.

The new normal included a U.S. Open in “That’s what makes the Ryder Cup so September and a Masters in November. special,” said Seth Waugh, CEO of the Perhaps the biggest event on the golf PGA of America. “It’s the passion that it calendar last year also fell victim to the arouses, the tribalism, the nationalism.” pandemic.

Tickets purchased for the 2020 Ryder The 43rd Ryder Cup, scheduled to be Cup via rydercup.com will be automatiheld in September at Whistling Straits cally valid for the corresponding day(s) in Haven, Wisconsin, was postponed in 2021. Tickets will be mailed out one year. approximately six weeks prior to the Left with no viable options to stage the event’s new dates.

Ryder Cup as scheduled in September Following is the 2021 schedule (fin2020 because of the pandemic, the PGA gers crossed) for the Golftime region: WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

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2021 Pro Golf Preview May 24-30, Glenview, Illinois

June 11-13, Harris, Michigan

Korn Ferry Tour EVANS SCHOLARS INVITATIONAL

Symetra Tour ISLAND RESORT CHAMPIONSHIP

COURSE: The Glen Club DEFENDING CHAMP: Curtis Thompson TV: Golf Channel THE SKINNY: Curtis Thompson won by one stroke after the tournament was moved from May to September due to the pandemic.

COURSE: Sweetgrass Golf Club 2020 RESULTS: Canceled DEFENDING 2019 CHAMP: Daniella Iacobelli THE SKINNY: Daniella Iacobelli won the tournament by shooting an 11-under 205.

June 3-6, Dublin, Ohio

LPGA Tour MEIJER LPGA CLASSIC FOR SIMPLY GIVE

COURSE: Muirfield Village Golf Club DEFENDING CHAMP: Jon Rahm TV: CBS/Golf Channel THE SKINNY: Jon Rahm posted a three-stroke victory.

June 4-6, Des Moines, Iowa

PGA Tour Champions PRINCIPAL CHARITY CLASSIC COURSE: Wakonda Club 2020 RESULTS: Canceled DEFENDING 2019 CHAMP: Kevin Sutherland TV: Golf Channel THE SKINNY: Despite cancellation, the tournament continued to support long-standing charities.

June 11-13, Madison, Wisconsin

PGA Tour Champions AMERICAN FAMILY INSURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE: University Ridge Golf Course 2020 RESULTS: Canceled DEFENDING 2019 CHAMP: Jerry Kelly TV: Golf Channel THE SKINNY: Madison native Jerry Kelly will defend his title after the tournament took a year hiatus due to COVID-19.

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MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

COURSE: Blythefield Country Club 2020 RESULTS: Canceled DEFENDING 2019 CHAMP: Brooke Henderson TV: Golf Channel THE SKINNY: The LPGA boosted the purse for the tournament in 2019, raising total winnings to $2.3 million.

June 24-27, Akron, Ohio

PGA Tour Champions BRIDGESTONE SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE: Firestone Country Club 2020 RESULTS: Canceled DEFENDING 2019 CHAMP: Vijay Singh TV: Golf Channel THE SKINNY: The Bridgestone Senior Players is one of five major championships on the PGA Tour Champions.

July 1-4, Detroit Michigan

PGA Tour ROCKET MORTGAGE CLASSIC COURSE: Detroit Golf Club DEFENDING CHAMP: Bryson DeChambeau TV: CBS/Golf Channel THE SKINNY: This year will mark the third year of Detroit’s only PGA event.

Photo by Jim Kelsh

PGA Tour THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT

June 17-20, Grand Rapids, Michigan

John Daly

Brooke Henderson July 8-10, French Lick, Indiana

Symetra Tour DONALD ROSS CLASSIC AT FRENCH LICK RESORT COURSE: The Donald Ross Course 2020 RESULTS: Canceled DEFENDING 2019 CHAMP: Patty Tavatanakit THE SKINNY: 2021 will mark the tournament’s fourth year of play.

July 8-11, Sylvania, Ohio

LPGA Tour MARATHON CLASSIC COURSE: Highland Meadows Golf Club DEFNDING CHAMP: Danielle Kang TV: Golf Channel THE SKINNY: Kang rallied from five strokes down with six holes to play.

July 8-11, Silvis, Illinois

PGA Tour JOHN DEERE CLASSIC COURSE: TPC Deere Run

2020 RESULTS: Canceled DEFENDING 2019 CHAMP: Dylan Frittelli TV: CBS/Golf Channel THE SKINNY: His win in 2019 was the first PGA Tour victory for South African Dylan Frittelli.

July 14-17, Midland, Michigan

LPGA Tour DOW GREAT LAKES BAY INVITATIONAL COURSE: Midland Country Club TV: Golf Channel 2020 RESULTS: Canceled DEFENDING 2019 CHAMPS: Jasmine Suwannapura and Cydney Clanton THE SKINNY: Jasmine Suwannapura and Cydney Clanton ran away with the LPGA Tour’s first official team event.

July 15-18, Springfield, Illinois

Korn Ferry Tour LINCOLN LAND CHARITY CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE: Panther Creek Country Club

WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

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2021 Pro Golf Preview

July 22-25, Blaine, Minnesota

PGA Tour 3M OPEN COURSE: TPC Twin Cities DEFENDING CHAMP: Michael Thompson TV: CBS/Golf Channel THE SKINNY: Michael Thompson birdied two of the last three holes to post a two-stroke victory.

Aug. 6-8, Battle Creek, Michigan

Symetra Tour FIREKEEPERS CASINO HOTEL CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE: Battle Creek Country Club DEFENDING CHAMP: Ruixin Liu THE SKINNY: China’s Ruixin Liu posted a twostroke victory.

Aug. 13-15, South Bend, Indiana

Symetra Tour FOUR WINDS INVITATIONAL

Aug. 27-29, Grand Blanc, Michigan

PGA Tour Champions THE ALLY CHALLENGE COURSE: Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club DEFENDING CHAMP: Jim Furyk TV: Golf Channel THE SKINNY: Jim Furyk became the first player since Miquel Angel Jimenez to win his first start on the Champions tour.

Sept. 2-5, Newburgh, Indiana

Korn Ferry Tour UNITED LEASING & FINANCE CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE: Victoria National Golf Club DEFENDING CHAMP: Brandon Wu TV: Golf Channel THE SKINNY: Brandon Wu’s one-shot victory was his first on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Sept. 11-13, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

PGA Tour Champions SANFORD INTERNATIONAL

COURSE: South Bend Country Club DEFENDING CHAMP: Kim Kaufman THE SKINNY: The 10th annual invitational moves to South Bend Country Club this year.

COURSE: Minnehaha Country Club DEFENDING CHAMP: Miguel Angel Jimenez TV: Golf Channel THE SKINNY: Miguel Angel Jimenez used an eagle on a par 5 on the back nine during the final round to post a one-shot victory.

Aug. 27-29, French Lick, Indiana

Sept. 24-26, Haven, Wisconsin

LPGA Legends Tour SENIOR LPGA CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE: Pete Dye Course 2020 RESULTS: Canceled DEFENDING 2019 CHAMP: Helen Alfredsson TV: Golf Channel THE SKINNY: The 2021 championship will be one of two played in consecutive weeks.

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MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

PGA 43RD RYDER CUP COURSE: Whistling Straits DEFENDING CHAMP: Europe TV: NBC THE SKINNY: The 43rd Ryder Cup will try once again after being postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Photo by Jim Kelsh

DEFENDING CHAMP: Brett Drewitt THE SKINNY: Brett Drewitt, an Australian, posted a one-stroke victory.

Jerry Kelly

Juli Inkster — U.S. Senior Women’s Open

Industry Insider

The Great Indoors State-of-the-art simulators, indoor golf leagues, heated bays at driving ranges keep golf craze going strong during Midwest winter. By Gary D’Amato This article originally appeared in Wisconsin.golf.

O

ne of few good things associated with the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 was a startling surge in golf participation.

U.S. Golf Datatech’s first-ever 2020 National Golf Performance Report shows rounds played soared by 13.9% nationally, while equipment sales were up 10.1% over 2019.

The phenomenon, due at least in part to golf being considered a “safe” outdoor activity, shows no signs of abating as the weather in Wisconsin turns and golfers transition from fairways and greens to indoor facilities and heated bays at driving ranges.

Indoor golf leagues, in which golfers play virtual courses such as Pebble Beach on simulators, seem to be gaining in popularity even in the face of a spike in coronavirus cases. These indoor leagues were all but nonexistent 20 years ago, but advances in simulator technology combined with increased availability is driving participation.

Dozens of driving ranges, private

clubs and public courses throughout the state have added simulators to extend their seasons, and many businesses have capitalized on the growing trend with facilities purpose-built or reimagined for indoor golf.

“Our weekday leagues are pretty much full already and I haven’t even done the marketing yet,” said Chris Verhoff, who owns Wisconsin Indoor Golf Center in Waukesha, which has nine simulators. “We don’t start leagues until December 1st. I think we’ve already got more people signed up than we had last year.”

Leagues at X Golf Brookfield already are filled and there is a waiting list. A second X Golf location in Mequon will celebrate its grand opening Monday.

“We haven’t even opened the doors and we’re 20 percent filled up with our leagues on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays,” said Brian Brodell, the general manager and PGA professional at X Golf Mequon.

Though enthusiasm for golf leagues is high, a few golfers who participated in the past have told Verhoff they would take some time off because of the

Madison Indoor Golf Center has reaped the rewards of a growing indoor golf craze, a carryover from golf’s pandemic surge.

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Industry Insider coronavirus pandemic. Like bars and restaurants, the Wisconsin Indoor Golf Center will follow established safety protocols.

“Our policy is going to be that all employees will be wearing masks,” Verhoff said.

“The bartender and anyone preparing food will wear gloves. We will spray and wipe down the booths after every group leaves. We wipe the tables and chairs down. That’s going to be our procedure until things change.”

Brodell said similar policies were in place at both X Golf locations.

“Our staff will be wearing masks,” he said.

“We’re sanitizing tables, chairs and the bar area after every group comes through. When golfers are hitting, they do not have to wear masks, but when they’re traveling through common areas or using the restrooms, then they will.”

Fifteen years ago, when Brodell was a member of the University of Wisconsin golf team, winter golf meant hitting balls into a net in some corner of a windowless room.

of the ball and replicate it on a screen, along with an array of statistics such as clubhead speed, launch angle and distance. Golfers also can choose from 14 different courses to play.

Those upgrades allowed Gastrau’s – which once closed its doors when the weather turned – to offer winter leagues on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

“We’ve got 144 golfers total signed up,” said general manager Brent Gastrau, who added that he had to turn away golfers once the leagues filled. Because of COVID-19 precautions, only two golfers will be allowed in each hitting bay.

At 4 Seasons Golf in Wausau, which has four Full Swing simulators, owner Shane Saari said he had a good turnout for fall leagues.

Saari said he would offer a new Friday “date night” league and a Sunday threeman scramble league this winter, in addition to his established women’s and couples

WEEKLY NINE-HOLE MATCHES ON AMERICA’S MOST FAMOUS COURSES: PGA NATIONAL, SPYGLASS, BAY HILL, DORAL, HARBOUR TOWN, HAZELTINE NATIONAL AND BETHPAGE. But with the proliferation of state-of-the-art simulators, golfers can play dozens of virtual courses on systems that closely duplicate the real thing.

Gastrau’s Golf Center, a practice range in Oak Creek, added heated bays last year and more recently installed Toptracer Range, which features cameras that track the flight 78

MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

leagues on Mondays and men’s leagues on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

“If all of my leagues fill, I would hope to get over 160 golfers in league alone,” he said.

“And that doesn’t count open tee times and corporate events. My Thursday league is already full with a waiting list and I’m about half-full on Wednesday. I’ve got a little bit

Like the bigger golf-entertainment Meccas like Top Golf, X-Golf is aiming at taking over the indoor scene nationwide. more work to do on Tuesday and couples.

But, yeah, we’re in the middle of October and I’ve got one league completely full.”

At X Golf, the competition format calls for three-man teams to play a handicap round at Kapalua, followed by weekly ninehole matches on some of America’s most famous courses: PGA National, Spyglass, Bay Hill, Doral, Harbour Town, Hazeltine National and Bethpage. Playoffs will be held at Pebble Beach, with the championship and consolation matches set for East Lake. The cost is $250 per player.

“The first week you’ll set a handicap and then on your three-player team you’ll have your A, B and C player,” Brodell said. “The A player will play the A player of another team, B vs. B and C vs. C. Each match is worth one point and if you halve, you get a half-point.”

Golfers who aren’t interested in the structure of league play can work on their games – either alone or with buddies – when

leagues aren’t scheduled. There are practice modes on the simulators that track and save precise data relating to ball flight. For a golfer making a swing change or “dialing in” a new set of irons, that type of feedback is invaluable.

“People are playing and training 12 months a year now here in Wisconsin, and getting the most out of it,” Brodell said. “The excuse of, ‘He came out of the winter and wasn’t prepared’ is no longer the case. You can’t say, ‘We didn’t get the reps in.’ (Steve) Stricker has proved that. (Jerry) Kelly has proved that. The University of Illinois has proved that. You can go on and on.”

Said Gastrau, “It’s way harder come springtime to play golf if you haven’t hit your clubs for three or four months. Even coming out once a week to work on your swing is a great way to improve your game.”

Visit golftimemag.com for more information and industry trends.

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Equipment Preview

FULLY LOADED After a record-breaking 2020 season, the golf equipment industry is back with some swagger to its swag. Here’s a look at some of the best gear of the year. By Dennis McCann

CNCPT Irons by Titleist The mission given Titleist Golf Club’s R&D team was to discover the “most satisfying ball striking experience imaginable.” Given the freedom to pursue manufacturing and material technologies never before employed in golf – regardless of cost – engineers created a new series of CNCPT by Titleist Irons to deliver unmatched performance. CNCPT irons are built from “exotic high-performance materials” that can take up to eight months to source but the result is a club that generates maximum ball speed with unparalleled forgiveness. ($500/club. titleist.com)

Equipment Preview

GolfLogix Green Books It’s like having a caddie in your pocket. Green Books by GolfLogix are pocket-sized yardage guides that use the same mapping technology found in GolfLogix apps. The books turn green-contour data into illustrated maps to give everyday players the same information that benefits professional players. The heat map view shows precise green slopes to indicate where approach shots should land, while the hole view gives the best target from the tee to set up accurate approaches. Includes over 14,000 precisely mapped courses. ($40 each. golflogix.com)

Best Shot Golf Target Pro Practice might be boring for some but it’s the price you pay for getting better. The Best Shot Golf Target Pro chipping net lets you work on that essential short game, inside or out, and comes with a large hitting area and target sheet. The net is simple to assemble and makes for the perfect place to hone those short shots with foam or wiffle balls.

Get better inside over winter and take that new game to the course in spring. ($55.97. bestshotgolf.co)

Galway Bay Weatherproof Apparel You might not be heading to Galway for golf anytime soon, but it’s never too soon to prepare for the heavy stuff. Galway Bay all-weather rainwear has won “best rain gear” awards two years running for its lightweight, breathable fabrics that allow wearers to enjoy maximum flexibility while still staying warm and dry.

Its Hydro-Flex 32 fabric is breathable yet blocks rain and wind without adding bulky layers. Available in jackets and pants in multiple colors, with rubberized waterproof zippers.

Pants have belt loops and optional lining and are designed to resemble golf slacks to eliminate layering. (galwaybaygolf.com)

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MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

Equipment Preview

Big Bertha B21 Driver Big Bertha is back, and she’s here to help. Thirty years ago innovative club maker Ely Callaway unleashed the first Big Bertha driver, the first of many oversized drivers to follow. Now Callaway has revived what might be the best name ever for a bashing club with the Big Bertha B21 driver, designed not just for distance but even more for helping high-handicap players hit fewer bad shots.

The B21 positions the center of gravity low and forward to reduce spin, thus reducing the sidespin that causes bad shots to become worse shots. ($499. callawaygolf.com)

Equipment Preview

On Point Markers What’s my line? It’s every putter’s question, and why many golfers and golf ball manufacturers began using guiding lines to improve putting. On Point goes one step further, adding a line to the marker you place behind the ball to further reduce the chances of lining up inaccurately. And if one line is helpful, how about three? On Point claims Triple Track alignment has been proven to improve putting by 12 percent. ($19.95. onpointgolf.us)

GPS Audible Golf Range Finder If you’re OK playing with voices in your head, here’s just the ticket. The GPS Audible Golf Range Finder is a GPS device that clips to your visor or collar and announces the exact distance from your ball to the center of the green. No more trying to steady a shaky hand to zero in a laser, no more wearing a second wrist watch to get an accurate yardage. Just tap, listen and swing with confidence. Compatible with iPhone or Android devices. ($89.99. sharperimage.com)

Superstar Golf Shoes Could a golf shoe that resembles an old-fashioned sneaker make you a superstar? The Superstar spiked shoe from adidas will at least let you feel that way. The shoe combines a leather upper with a rubber shell toe for a soft feel and 3-stripes golf spikes for maximum grip. White with black stripes — it’s a classic look for a classic game. ($130. adidas.com)

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Equipment Preview

Groove Putting Mirror PGA Tour pros will turn to any good training device to improve their games, so why shouldn’t all of us? One item spotted on a growing number of tour putting greens is Eyeline Golf’s Grove Putting Mirror, designed to help struggling putters — or even good putters — improve alignment to target, eye alignment and putter alignment and path. And did we mention it’s used by some of the top players in the world? ($59.95. eyelinegolf.com)

Claw Pro Golf Glove The original Claw golf glove won lots of raves for its durability and for the mesh fabric construction that meant maximum breathability and air-cooled comfort. Now the Claw Pro golf glove combines those features with improvements aimed at lower handicap golfers including added stability on the top hand and grip on the index finger and thumb. The Pro enhances club control, especially for those with higher swing speeds or who like a tighter fit. All that, and still with great comfort. ($24.99. caddydaddygolf.com)

Ladies LDX Plus Cart Bags Carry your clubs in style. These newly designed LDX Plus Ladies Cart Bags from Burton Golf were designed in collaboration with Southwind Apparel and come in five vibrant printed patterns. The bags feature a 14-way organizer top with full dividers and a rubberized putter well, plus seven pockets that include a fleece-lined valuables pocket, two garment pockets and an insulated cooler. Matching LDX umbrellas are available on select models. ($219.95. burtongolf.com)

Photo by Nile Young Jr.

The 18th on the Lynx Golf Course, Otsego, Michigan

Midwest Select YOUR GUIDE TO CHICAGOLAND AND SURROUNDING AREA GOLF COURSES

Want to be listed in the Midwest Select section?

Just email editor@golftimemag.com.

Midwest Select Abbey Springs Golf Course (R)

Bear Slide Golf Club (P)

Bob-O-Link Golf Club (PV)

Ackerman Hills (P)

Bedford Valley Golf Course (R)

The Bog (P)

A-Ga-Ming Golf Resort (R)

Beeches Golf Club (P)

Bolingbrook Golf Club (P)

Aldeen Golf Club (P)

The Beloit Club (PV)

Bon Vivant (P)

Anetsburger Golf Course (P)

Bella Vista Golf Club (P)

Bonnie Brook Golf Course (P)

Angels Crossing Golf Club (P)

Berrien Hills Golf Club (P)

Bonnie Dundee Golf Club (P)

Annbriar Golf Course (P)

Beverly Country Club (PV)

Boone Creek Golf Club (P)

American Dunes Golf Club (P)

Big Fish Golf Club (P)

Boughton Ridge Golf Course (P)

Apple Canyon Lake Golf Course (P)

Big Run Golf Club (P)

Boulder Ridge Country Club (PV)

Apple Orchard Golf Course (P)

Billy Caldwell Golf Course (P)

The Bourne Golf Course (P)

The Arboretum Club (P)

Biltmore Country Club (PV)

Arlington Lakes Golf Club (P)

Binder Park Golf Course (P)

Arrowhead Golf Club (P)

Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex (P)

Aspen Ridge Golf Course (P)

Bittersweet Golf Club (P)

Atwood Homestead Golf Course (P)

Black Forest at Wilderness Valley (R)

Aurora Country Club (PV)

Black Hawk Run Golf Club (P)

Chesterton, IN, 219-921-1192 www.thebrassie.com

Balmoral Woods Country Club (P)

Black Sheep Golf Club (PV)

Deerfield, IL, 847-945-2660 www.briarwoodcc.com

Barrington Hills Country Club (PV)

Blackberry Oaks Golf Course (P)

Indianapolis, IN, 317-492-6572 www.brickyardcrossing.com

Barrington Park District (P)

Blackstone Golf Club (P)

Madison, WI, 608-244-1822 www.golfthebridges.com

Barker Lake Golf Course Legend (P)

Blackthorn Golf Club (P)

Hoffman Estates, IL, 847-781-3681 www.bridgesofpoplarcreek.com

Bartlett Hills Golf Club (P)

Bliss Creek Golf Course (P)

Bristol, WI , 262-857-2302 www.bristoloaks.com

Battle Ground Golf Club (P)

Bloomingdale Golf Club (P)

Lockport, IL, 815-836-8858 www.golfbrokenarrow.com

Bay Harbor Golf Club (P)

BlueTop Ridge at Riverside (P)

Milwaukee, WI, 414-352-8080 www.browndeergolfclub.org

Fontana, WI, 262-275-6111 www.abbeysprings.org

West Lafayette, IN, 765-494-3139 www.purduegolf.com Kewadin, MI, 800-678-0122 www.a-ga-ming.com Rockford, IL, 815-282-4653 www.aldeengolfclub.com Northbrook, IL, 847-291-2971 www.anetsbergergolf.com Vicksburg, MI, 269-649-2700 www.golfangelscrossing.com Waterloo, IL, 888-939-5191 www.annbriar.com

Grand Haven, MI, 616-842-4040 www.americandunesgolfclub.com Apple River, IL, 815-492-2477 www.applecanyonlake.org

Bartlett, IL, 630-540-4807 www.bartlettparks.org/facilities/golf Buffalo Grove, IL, 847-913-1112 www.arboretumgolf.com

Arlington Heights, IL, 847-577-3030 www.ahpd.org/algc Wheaton, IL, 630-653-5800 www.arrowheadgolfclub.org

Bourbonnais, IL, 815-939-1742 www.aspenridgegolf.com

Rockford, IL, 815-623-2411 www.playthepreserves.com/atwood Aurora, IL, 630-892-3785 www.auroracc.com Crete, IL, 708-672-7448 www.balmoralwoods.com

Barrington, IL, 847-381-4200 www.barringtonhillscc.com

Barrington, IL, 847-381-0687 www.barringtonparkdistrict.org Winter, WI, 715-266-4152 www.barkerlakegolf.com Bartlett, IL, 630-837-2741 www.bartletthills.com

Battle Ground, IN, 765-567-2178 www.golfbattleground.com Bay Harbor, MI, 866-548-7427 www.boynegolf.com

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Cicero, IN, 317-984-3837 www.bearslide.com

Battle Creek, MI, 269-965-3385 www.gulllakeview.com

South Haven, MI, 269-637-2600 www.beechesgolfclub.com Beloit, WI, 608-473-0089 www.beloitclub.com

Coldwater, MI, 571-238-6085 www.bellavistagolf.org

Benton Harbor, MI, 269-925-9002 www.berrienhills.com Chicago, IL, 708-636-8700 www.beverlycc.org

Hayward, WI, 715-934-4770 www.bigfishgolf.com Lockport, IL, 815-838-1057 www.bigrungolf.com Chicago, IL, 773-792-1930 www.forestpreservegolf.com

Barrington, IL, 847-381-1960 www.biltmore-cc.com

Battle Creek, MI, 269-979-8250 www.binderparkgolf.com

West Lafayette, IN, 765-494-3139 www.purduegolf.com Gurnee, IL, 847-855-9031 www.bittersweetgolf.com

Gaylord, MI, 866-585-7090 www.blackforestgolf.com Stockton, IL, 815-947-3011 www.blackhawkrun.com

Sugar Grove, IL, 630-879-2000 www.blacksheepgolfclub.com Bristol, IL, 630-553-7170 www.blackberryoaks.com

Marengo, IL, 815-923-1800 www.blackstonegc.com

South Bend, IN, 574-232-4653 www.blackthorngolf.com

Sugar Grove, IL, 630-466-4177 www.blisscreekgolf.com

Bloomingdale, IL, 630-529-6232 www.bloomingdalegc.com

Riverside, IA, 877-677-3456 www.riversidecasinoandresort.com

MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

Highland Park, IL, 847-432-0917 www.bobolinkgolfcourse.com Saukville, WI, 262-284-7075 www.golfthebog.com Bolingbrook, IL, 630-771-9400 www.bolingbrookgolfclub.com

Bourbonnais, IL, 815-935-0400 www.bonvivant.com Waukegan, IL, 847-360-4730 www.waukegangolf.org

Carpentersville, IL, 847-426-5511 www.bonniedundeegc.com McHenry, IL, 815-455-6900 www.boonecreekgolf.com

Bolingbrook, IL, 630-739-4100 www.bolingbrookparks.org

Lake In The Hills, IL, 847-854-3010 www.boulderridge.com Marseilles, IL, 815-496-2301

Bowes Creek Country Club (P) Elgin, IL, 847-214-5880 www.bowescreekcc.com

Boyne Highlands Resort (P) Harbor Springs, MI, 866-548-7427 www.boynegolf.com

Boyne Mountain Resort (P) Boyne City, MI, 866-548-7427 www.boynegolf.com

Brae Loch Golf Course (P) Grayslake, IL, 847-968-3444 www.lcfpd.org/brae_loch

Braidwood Fairways (P) Braidwood, IL, 815-458-2965

The Brassie (P)

Briarwood Country Club (PV) Brickyard Crossing (P)

Bridges Golf Course (P) Bridges of Poplar Creek CC (P) Bristol Oaks Country Club (P) Broken Arrow Golf Club (P) Brown Deer Park Golf Course (P) Bryn Mawr Country Club (PV) Lincolnwood, IL, 847-676-2660 www.brynmawrcountryclub.com

PV = Private, P = Public, R = Resort Buck’s Barn Golf Resort (P) Thomson, IL, 815-259-8278 www.bucksbarngolfresort.com

Bucks Run Golf Club (P)

Mt. Pleasant, MI, 989-773-6830 www.bucksrun.com

Buena Vista Golf Course (P) DeKalb, IL, 815-758-4812 www.buenavistagc.com

Buffalo Grove Golf Club (P) Buffalo Grove, IL, 847-537-5819 www.buffalogrovegolf.com

The Bull at Pinehurst Farms (P) Sheboygan Falls, WI, 920-467-1500 www.golfthebull.com

Chicago Hts Park District Golf Course East (P) Chicago Hts, IL, 708-754-3673 www.chparkdistrict.net

Chicago Hts Park District Golf Course West (P) Chicago Hts, IL, 708-754-1400 www.chparkdistrict.net

Butler National Golf Club (PV)

Coachman’s Golf Resort (R)

Butterfield Country Club (PV)

Cog Hill Golf & Country Club (P)

Calumet Country Club (PV)

Columbus Park Golf Course (P)

Cantigny Golf (P)

Conway Farms Golf Club (PV)

Cantigny Youth Links (P)

Country Lakes Country Club (P)

Cardinal Creek Golf Course (P)

Countryside Golf Course (P)

Carriage Greens Country Club (P)

The Course at Aberdeen (P)

Cary Country Club (P)

Coyote Creek Golf Club (P)

The Castle Course at Northern Bay (R)

Coyote Crossing Golf Course (P)

Homewood, IL, 708-799-2230 www.calumetcc.com Wheaton, IL, 630-668-8463 www.cantignygolf.com

Wheaton, IL, 630-668-8270 www.cantignygolf.com/youthlinks Beecher, IL, 708-946-2800 www.cardinalcreekgolf.com Darien, IL, 630-985-3730 www.carriagegreens.com Cary, IL, 847-639-3161 www.carycountryclub.com

Arkdale, WI, 608-339-9891 www.www.castleatthebay.com

Cedardell Golf Club (P) Plano, IL, 630-552-3242 www.cedardellgolfclub.com

Centennial Park Golf Course (P) Munster, IN, 219-836-6931 www.munster.org

Chalet Hills Golf Club (P) Cary, IL, 847-639-0666 www.chaletgolf.com

Chapel Hill Country Club (P) McHenry, IL, 815-385-3337 www.chapelhillgolf.com

Chesapeake Run Golf Club (P) North Judson, IN, 574-896-2424 www.chesapeakerungolf.com

Wisconsin Dells, WI , 608-254-3971 www.christmasmountainvillage.com Wilmington, IL, 815-476-4000 www.cinderridge.com Edgerton, WI, 608-884-8484 www.coachmans.com Lemont, IL, 630-257-5872 www.coghillgolf.com

Chicago, IL, 312-746-5573 www.cpdgolf.com/courses/columbus-park Lake Forest, IL, 847-234-6979 www.conwayfarmsgolfclub.org

Naperville, IL, 630-420-1060 www.countrylakescountryclub.com Mundelein, IL, 847-968-3466 www.lcfpd.org/countryside Valparaiso, IN, 219-462-5050 www.golfataberdeen.com Bartonville, IL, 309-633-0911 www.golfcoyotecreek.com

West Lafayette, IN, 765-497-1061 www.coyotecrossinggolf.com

Coyote Run Golf Course (P) Flossmoor, IL, 708-957-8700 www.coyoterungolf.com

Crab Orchard Golf Club (P) Carterville, IL, 618-985-2321 www.craborchardgolfclub.com

Craig Woods Golf Course (P) Woodstock, IL, 815-337-3116 www.crystalwoodsgc.com

Crane’s Landing Golf Club (R) Lincolnshire, IL, 847-634-5935 www.craneslandinggolf.com

Cress Creek Country Club (PV) Naperville, IL, 630-355-7300 www.cresscreekcc.com

Crestview Golf Course (P)

Wheaton, IL, 630-665-2988

Kalamazoo, MI, 269-349-1111 www.crestviewgolfcourse.com

Westchester, IL, 630-214-9490 www.chicagohighlands.com

Traverse City, MI, 231-946-2975 www.golfthecrown.com

Chicago Golf Club (PV) Chicago Highlands (PV)

Crystal Tree Golf & Country Club (PV)

Woodstock, IL, 815-338-3111 www.crystalwoodsgc.com

Bellaire, MI, 231-533-9000 www.golfthechief.com

Cinder Ridge Golf Course (P)

Oak Brook, IL, 630-323-1000 www.butterfieldcc.org

Crystal Lake, IL, 815-459-1237 www.clcountryclub.com

The Chief Golf Course (P)

Morton Grove, IL, 847-965-5353 www.forestpreservegolf.com

Burnham Woods Golf Course (P)

Oak Brook, IL, 630-990-3333 www.butlernational.org

Crystal Lake Country Club (PV)

Orland Park, IL, 708-403-3000 www.crystaltreecc.org

Bull Valley Golf Club (PV)

Burnham, IL, 708-862-9043 www.forestpreservegolf.com

Lake In The Hills, IL, 847-659-1766

Chick Evans Golf Course (P)

Christmas Mountain Village Golf Resort (R)

Woodstock, IL, 815-337-4411 www.bullvalleygolfclub.com

Crystal Highlands Golf Facility (P)

The Crown Golf Club (P)

Crystal Woods Golf Club (P) Dayton Ridge Golf Club (P) Ottawa, IL, 815-434-0145

Deer Creek Golf Club (P)

University Park, IL, 708-672-6667 www.deercreekgolfcourse.com

Deer Valley Country Club (P) Deer Grove, IL, 815-438-4653 www.dvforegolf.com

Deer Valley Golf Course (P) Big Rock, IL, 630-556-3333 www.deervalleygc.net

TPC Deere Run (SP) Silvis, IL, 309-796-6000 www.tpc.com/deererun

Deerfield Golf Club (P)

Riverwoods, IL, 847-945-8333 www.deerfieldgolf.org

Deerpath Golf Course (P) Lake Forest, IL, 847-615-4290 www.deerpathgolfcourse.com

The Den at Fox Creek (P) Bloomington, IL, 309-434-2300 www.thedengc.com

Devil’s Head Resort (R) Merrimac, WI, 800-472-6670 www.devilsheadresort.com

Douglas Park Learning Course & Mini Golf (P) Chicago, IL, 312-747-7670 www.cpdgolf.com

Downers Grove Golf Course (P) Downers Grove, IL, 630-963-1306 www.dgparks.org

Eagle Brook Country Club (PV) Geneva, IL, 630-208-4653 www.eaglebrookclub.com

Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa (R) Galena, IL, 800-892-2269 www.eagleridge.com

Eaglewood Resort & Spa (R) Itasca, IL, 877-285-6150 www.eaglewoodresort.com

Eastern Hills Golf Course (P) Kalamazoo, MI, 369-385-8175 www.kalamazoogolf.org

Edgebrook Country Club (SP) Sandwich, IL, 815-786-3058 www.forestpreservegolf.com

Edgebrook Golf Course (P) Chicago, IL, 773-763-8320 www.forestpreservegolf.com

Edgewood Valley CC (PV) La Grange, IL, 708-246-2800 www.edgewoodvalleycc.com

Elgin Country Club (PV) Elgin, IL, 847-741-2707 www.elgincc.com

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Midwest Select Elmbrook Golf Course (P)

Geneva Golf Club (PV)

Grayslake Park Golf Course (P)

Erin Hills (P)

Geneva National Resort (R)

Graystone Golf Links (P)

Evanston Golf Club (PV)

George W. Dunne National Golf Course (P)

Traverse City, MI, 231-946-9180 www.elmbrookgolf.com Erin, WI, 262-670-8600 www.erinhills.com Skokie, IL, 847-676-0300 www.evanstongolfclub.org

Geneva, IL, 630-232-2055 www.genevagc.com

Lake Geneva, WI , 262-245-7000 www.genevanationalresort.com

Evergreen Golf Club (P)

Oak Forest, IL, 708-429-6886 www.forestpreservegolf.com/courses

Evergreen Park Country Club (P)

Glenview, IL, 847-724-7272 www.theglenclub.com

Grayslake, IL, 847-548-4713 www.glpd.com

Tinley Park, IL, 708-720-6600

Great River Road Golf Club (P) Nauvoo, IL, 800-233-0060 www.golfnauvoo.com

Green Acres Country Club (PV)

The Glen Club (SP)

Northbrook, IL, 847-291-2200 www.greenacrescountryclub.com

Evergreen Park, IL, 773-238-6680

Glen Flora Country Club (PV)

Frankfort, IL, 815-469-3350 www.greengardencc.com

Highland Park, IL, 847-432-3600 www.exmoorcountryclub.org

Glen Oak Country Club (PV)

Westmont, IL, 630-810-5330 www.dupagegolf.com

Flagg Creek Golf Course (P)

Glen View Club (PV)

Waukegan, IL, 847-360-4777 www.waukegangolf.org

Flossmoor Country Club (PV)

Glencoe Golf Club (P)

Marquette, MI, 906-225-0721 www.marquettegolfclub.com

The Fort Golf Resort (R)

Glendale Lakes Golf Club (P)

Foss Park Golf Course (P)

Glendarin Hills Golf Club (P)

Fountain Hills Golf Club (P)

Gleneagles Country Club (P)

Augusta, MI, 269-731-4149 www.gulllakeview.com

Four Winds Golf Club (P)

Glenview National 9 GC (P)

Benton Harbor, MI, 269-927-4653 www.harborshoresresort.com

Glenview Park Golf Club (P)

Chicago, IL, 312-782-7837 www.harborsideinternational.com

Elkhorn, WI, 262-723-5722 www.evergreengolf.com

Exmoor Country Club (PV)

Waukegan, IL, 847-244-6300 www.glenfloracc.com

Chicago, IL, 312-616-1234

Glen Ellyn, IL, 630-469-5600 www.glenoakcountryclub.org

Countryside, IL, 708-246-3336 www.flaggcreekgolfcourse.org

Golf, IL, 847-729-6500 www.glenviewclub.com

Family Golf Center Illinois (P)

Flossmoor, IL, 708-798-4700 www.flossmoorcc.org

Indianapolis, IN, 317-543-9597 www.thefortgolfcourse.com North Chicago, IL, 847-689-7490 www.fossparkgolf.org Alsip, IL, 708-388-4653 www.fountainhillsgc.com

Mundelein, IL, 847-566-8502

Fox Bend Golf Course (P) Oswego, IL, 630-554-3939 www.foxbendgolfcourse.com

Fox Lake Country Club (P) Fox Lake, IL, 847-587-6411 www.foxlakecc.net

Fox Run Golf Links (P)

Elk Grove Village, IL, 847-228-3544 www.foxrungolflinks.com

Fox Valley Golf Club (P)

North Aurora, IL, 630-879-1030 www.aurora-il.org

Foxford Hills Golf Club (P) Cary, IL, 847-639-0400 www.foxfordhillsgolfclub.com

Frankfort Square Park District Golf Course (P) Frankfort, IL, 815-469-1600 www.fspd.org/Square-Links-Golf-Course.asp

Glencoe, IL, 847-835-0250 www.glencoegolfclub.com

Glendale Heights, IL, 630-260-0018 www.glendalelakes.com Angola, IN, 260-624-3550 www.glendarinhills.com

Lemont, IL, 630-257-5466 www.golfgleneagles.com

Glenview, IL, 847-657-1637 www.golfglenview.com Glenview, IL, 847-724-0250 www.golfglenview.com

Glenwoodie Golf Club (P) Glenwood, IL, 708-758-1212 www.glenwoodiegolf.com

Golf Center Des Plaines (P) Des Plaines, IL, 847-803-4653 www.dpparks.org/golfcenter/

Golf Club of Coldwater (P) Coldwater, MI, 517-279-2100 www.golfclubofcoldwater.com

The Golf Club at Harbor Shores (R) Benton Harbor, MI, 269-927-4653 www.harborshoreslife.com

The Golf Club of Illinois (P) Algonquin, IL, 847-658-4400 www.golfclubofil.com

Green Garden Country Club (P) Green Meadows Golf Course (P) Greenshire Golf Course (P) Greywalls (P)

Griffith Golf Center (P) Griffith, IN, 219-923-3223

The Grove (PV)

Long Grove, IL, 847-550-0983 www.thegrovecc.com

Gull Lake View Golf Club & Resort (P) Harbor Shores Golf Club (P) Harborside International (P) Harrison Hills Golf & Country Club (P) Attica, IN, 765-762-1135 www.harrisonhills.com

Harry Mussatto (WIU) (P) Macomb, IL, 309-298-3676 www.golf.wiu.edu

Harry Semrow Driving Range (P) Des Plaines, IL, 847-296-5764 www.forestpreservegolf.com/courses

Hawk’s Eye Golf Resort (R) Bellaire, MI, 866-868-8181 www.golfbellaire.com

HawksHead Links (P)

South Haven, MI, 269-639-2121 www.hawksheadlinks.com

Hawk’s View Golf Club (P)

French Lick Resort (R)

The Golf Courses of Lawsonia (P)

Fresh Meadow Golf Club (P)

Golf Nation (PV)

Hawthorn Woods Country Club (PV)

Fyre Lake National Golf Club (P)

Golf Vista Estates Golf Course (P)

Hayward Golf Club (P)

Galena Golf Club (P)

Grand Geneva Resort & Spa (R)

Gaylord Golf Mecca (P)

Grand Traverse Resort and Spa (R)

French Lick, IN, 888-936-9360 www.frenchlick.com Hillside, IL, 708-449-3434 www.freshmeadowgc.com

Sherrard, IL, 800-575-1394 www.fyrelakenational.com Galena, IL, 815-777-3599 www.galenagolf.webs.com

Gaylord, MI, 800-345-8621 www.gaylordgolfmecca.com

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Green Lake, WI, 800-529-4453 www.lawsonia.com Palatine, IL, 847-202-4653 www.golfnation.us Monee, IL, 708-534-8204 www.golfvistagolfclub.com

Lake Geneva, WI, 800-558-3417 www.grandgeneva.com Acme, MI, 800-236-1577 www.grandtraverseresort.com

MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

Lake Geneva, WI, 877-429-5788 www.hawksviewgolfclub.com

Hawthorn Woods, IL, 847-847-3259 www.hwccgolf.com Hayward, WI, 877-377-4653 www.haywardgolf.com

Heather Ridge Golf Course (P) Gurnee, IL, 847-367-6010 www.heatherridgegolf.com

Heritage Bluffs Public Golf Club (P) Channahon, IL, 815-467-7888 www.heritagebluffs.com

PV = Private, P = Public, R = Resort Heritage Glen Golf Club (P)

Ironwood Golf Course (P)

Lake Michigan Hills Golf Club (P)

Hickory Hills CC (P)

Island Hills Golf Club (P)

Lake Park Golf Course (P)

Hickory Knoll Golf Course (P)

Itasca Country Club (PV)

Lake Shore Country Club (PV)

Ivanhoe Club (PV)

Lake Zurich Golf Club (PV)

Paw Paw, MI, 269-657-2552 www.heritageglengolf.com

Hickory Hills, IL, 708-598-5900 www.hickoryhillscntryclub.com Lake Villa, IL, 847-356-8640

Hickory Point Golf Club (P)

Forsyth, IL, 217-421-7444 www.decatur-parks.org/golf/index.php

Hickory Ridge Golf Course (P) Galesburg, MI, 269-382-6212 www.golfhickoryridge.com

High Point Golf Club (P) Essex, IL, 815-365-4000 www.golfhighpoint.com

Highland Park Country Club (P) Highland Park, IL, 847-433-9015 www.highlandparkcc.com

Highland Woods Golf Course (P) Hoffman Estates, IL, 847-359-5850 www.forestpreservegolf.com

The Highlands of Elgin (P) Elgin, IL, 847-931-5950 www.highlandsofelgin.com

Hilldale Golf Club (P)

Hoffman Estates, IL, 847-310-1100 www.hilldalegolf.com

Hinsdale Golf Club (PV)

Clarendon Hills, IL, 630-986-5330 www.hinsdalegolfclub.org

The House on the Rock Resort (R) Spring Green, WI, 608-588-7000 www.thehouseontherock.com

Hughes Creek Golf Club (P)

Normal, IL, 309-454-9620 www.golfironwood.org

Centreville, MI, 269-467-7261 www.islandhillsgolf.com Itasca, IL, 630-773-1800 www.itascacountryclub.com

Mundelein, IL, 847-970-3800 www.ivanhoeclub.com

Jackson Park Golf Club (P)

Chicago, IL, 773-667-0524 www.cpdgolf.com/courses/jackson-park

Joe Louis “The Champ” Golf Course (P)

Riverdale, IL, 708-849-1731 www.forestpreservegolf.com/courses

Benton Harbor, MI, 269-849-4653 www.lakemichiganhills.com Des Plaines, IL, 847-391-5730 www.dpparks.org

Glencoe, IL, 847-835-3000 www.lakeshorecountryclub.com Lake Zurich, IL, 847-438-2431

Lake Lawn Resort (R) Delavan, WI, 262-725-9066 www.lakelawnresort.com

Lakemoor Golf Course (P) Lakemoor, IL, 815-759-0011 www.lakemoorgolfclub.com

Lakewoods Forest Ridges GC (P)

Joliet Country Club (PV)

Cable, WI, 800-255-5937 www.lakewoodsresort.com

Kampen Course (P)

Bingham, MI, 231-271-2020 www.leelanauclub.com

Kankakee Country Club (P)

Fox Lake, IL, 847-587-6795 www.leisurevillagefoxlake.com

Kankakee Elks Golf Club (P)

Libertyville, IL, 847-362-5733 www.libertyville.com/golfcourse

Joliet, IL, 815-723-9613 www.jolietcountryclub.com

West Lafayette, IN, 765-494-3139 www.purduegolf.com Kankakee, IL, 815-933-6615 www.kankakeecountryclub.com St. Anne, IL, 815-937-9547 www.elksgolf627.com

Kemper Lakes Golf Course (PV) Long Grove, IL, 847-320-3450 www.kemperlakesgolf.com

Ken Loch Golf Links (P) Lombard, IL, 630-620-9665

The Leelanau Club (P)

Leisure Village Golf Course (PV) Libertyville Golf Course (P) Lick Creek Golf Course (P) Pekin, IL, 309-346-0077

Lincoln Oaks Golf Course (P) Crete, IL, 708-672-9401 www.lincolnoaksgolfcourse.com

Lincolnshire Country Club (PV)

Kishwaukee Country Club (PV)

Crete, IL, 708-672-5090 www.lincolnshirecountryclub.com

Richmond, IL, 815-678-7940

Klein Creek Golf Club (P)

Addison, IL, 630-458-2660 www.addisonparks.org

Princeton, IL, 815-879-6531 www.huntersridgegc.com

Knollwood Club (PV)

Plainfield, IL, 815-886-2132 www.carillongolf.com

Kokopelli Golf Club (PV)

Marion, IL, 618-997-5656 www.KokopelliGolf.com

The Club at Lac La Belle (P)

Lockport, IL, 815-838-8692

Elburn, IL, 630-365-9200 www.hughescreek.com

Hunter Country Club (P) Hunter’s Ridge Golf Course (P) Idlewild Country Club (PV) Flossmoor, IL, 708-798-0514 www.idlewildcc.net

Indian Boundary Golf Course (P) Chicago, IL, 773-625-9630 www.forestpreservegolf.com

Indian Hill Golf Club (PV) Winnetka, IL, 847-251-1711 www.indianhillclub.org

Indian Lakes Resort (R)

Bloomingdale, IL, 630-529-6466 www.indianlakesresort.com

Indian Oaks Country Club (P) Shabbona, IL, 815-824-2202 www.indianoakscountryclub.com

DeKalb, IL, 815-758-6849 www.kishwaukeecc.org

Winfield, IL, 630-690-0101 www.kleincreek.com

Lake Forest, IL, 847-234-1600 www.knollwoodclub.org Marion, IL, 618-997-5656 www.kokopelligolf.com

Oconomowoc, WI, 262-567-7833 www.clubatlaclabelle.com

Lacoma Golf Club (P)

East Dubuque, IL, 815-747-3874 www.lacomagolf.com

Lafayette Golf Course (P) Lafayette, IN, 765-458-4588 www.lafayette.in.gov/golf

LaGrange Country Club (PV)

Hobart, IN, 219-942-2577

LaGrange, IL, 708-352-0066 www.lagrangecc.org

Scotts, MI, 269-327-1327 www.irgolfclub.com

Barrington, IL, 847-382-4240 www.lbsgolf.com

Indian Ridge Country Club (P) Indian Run Golf Club (P)

Lake Barrington Shores GC (PV)

Inverness Golf Club (PV)

Lake Bluff Golf Club (P)

Inwood Golf Course (P)

Lake Doster Golf Club (P)

Palatine, IL, 847-359-0244 www.invernessgolfclub.org Joliet, IL, 815-741-7265 www.inwoodgc.com

Lake Bluff, IL, 847-234-6771 www.lakebluffgolfclub.com

Plainwell, MI, 269-685-5308 www.lakedostergolf.com

Links & Tees Golf Facility (P) The Links at Carillon (P) The Links at Kokopelli (P) Lockport Golf & Recreation Club (PV) Longwood Country Club (P) Crete, IL, 708-758-1811

The Loon Golf Resort (R) Gaylord, MI, 989-732-4454 www.loongolfresort.com

Lost Marsh of Hammond (P) Hammond, IN, 219-932-4046 www.lostmarshgolf.com

Lost Nation Golf Club (P) Dixon, IL, 815-652-4212 www.lostnationgolf.com

Lynx Golf Course (P)

Otsego, MI, 888-586-5969 www.lynxgolfcourse.com

Makray Memorial Golf Club (P) Barrington, IL, 847-381-6500 www.makraygolf.com

Manistee National Golf & Resort (R) Manistee, MI, 231-398-0123 www.manisteenational.com

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91

Midwest Select Manitou Passage Golf Club (P)

Moss Creek Golf Club (P)

Old Orchard Country Club (P)

Manteno Golf Course (P)

Mt. Prospect Golf Club (P)

Old Top Farm Golf Course (P)

Maple Hills Golf Course (P)

Naperbrook Golf Course (P)

Old Wayne Golf Course (PV)

Cedar, MI, 231-228-6000 www.manitoupassagegolfclub.com Manteno, IL, 815-468-8827 www.mantenogolf.com Augusta, MI, 269-731-4430

Maple Meadows Golf Club (P) Wood Dale, IL, 630-616-8424 www.dupagegolf.com

Marengo Ridge Golf Club (P) Marengo, IL, 815-923-2332 www.marengoridgegolfclub.com

Marquette Park Learning Center (P) Chicago, IL, 312-747-2761 www.cpdgolf.com/courses/marquette-park

Marywood Golf Club (P) Battle Creek, MI, 269-968-1168 www.marywoodgolf.com

Winamac, IL, 574-595-3142 www.golfmosscreek.com

Mt. Prospect, IL, 847-259-4200 www.mppd.org/facility/golf Plainfield, IL, 630-378-4215 www.naperbrookgolfcourse.org

Naperville Country Club (PV) Naperville, IL, 630-355-0747 www.napervillecc.org

Nettle Creek Country Club (P) Morris, IL, 815-941-4300 www.nettlecreek.com

Nickol Knoll Golf Course (P) Arlington Heights, IL, 847-590-6050 www.ahpd.org/nkgc

Nippersink Country Club & Lodge (SP)

East Chicago, IN, 219-391-8362

Genoa City, WI, 262-279-6311 www.nippersinkresort.com

McHenry, IL, 815-385-3435 www.mchenrycc.net

Glenview, IL, 847-729-1200 www.north-shorecc.org

McArthur Golf Course (P)

Mt. Prospect, IL, 847-255-2025 www.oldorchardcc.com Crystal Lake, IL, 815-479-9361 www.oldtopfarm.com

West Chicago, IL, 630-231-1350

Olde Mill Golf Club (P)

Schoolcraft, MI, 269-679-5625 www.oldemillgolfclub.com

Onwentsia Club (PV)

Lake Forest, IL, 847-234-0120 www.onwentsiaclub.com

Orchard Valley Golf Course (P) Aurora, IL, 630-907-0500 www.orchardvalleygolf.com

Otsego Club (R)

Gaylord, MI, 800-752-5510 www.otsegoclub.com

Otter Creek Golf Course (P)

McHenry Country Club (PV)

North Shore Country Club (PV)

Columbus, IN, 812-579-5227 www.ottercreekgolf.com

Meadowlark Golf Course (P)

Northmoor Country Club (PV)

Palatine, IL, 847-359-4020 www.palatinehills.org

Meadows Golf Club (P)

Northern Bay Resort (P)

St. John, IN, 219-365-4331 www.palmiragolf.com

The Medalist Golf Club (P)

Northwood Golf Club (P)

Orland Park, IL, 708-448-6063 www.paloscountryclub.com

Medinah Country Club (PV)

Oak Brook Golf Club (P)

Palos Hills, IL, 708-599-0202 www.paloshillsweb.org

The Merit Club (PV)

Oak Club of Genoa (P)

Freeport, IL, 815-235-3611 www.golfparkhills.com

Mid-Iron Golf Club (P)

Oak Grove Golf Course (P)

Park Ridge, IL, 847-823-0410 www.parkridgecc.org

Oak Hills Country Club (SP)

Evanston, IL, 847-475-9173 www.peterjansgolf.org

Oak Meadows Golf Course (P)

St. Charles, IL, 630-584-4914 www.pheasantrun.com

Hinsdale, IL, 708-562-2977 www.forestpreservegolf.com

Blue Island, IL, 708-385-1994 www.meadowsgc.com Marshall, MI, 269-789-4653 www.themedalist.com Medinah, IL, 630-773-1700 www.medinahcc.org

Libertyville, IL, 847-918-8800 www.meritclub.org Lemont, IL, 630-257-3340

Midlane Golf Resort and Suites (R) Wadsworth, IL, 847-360-0550 www.midlaneresort.com

Midlothian Country Club (PV) Midlothian, IL, 708-371-2626 www.midlothiancc.org

Milham Park Golf Course (P) Kalamazoo, MI, 269-344-7639 www.kalamazoogolf.org

Mill Creek Golf Club (P) Geneva, IL, 630-208-7272 www.millcreekgolfcourse.com

Minne Monesse Golf Club (SP) Grant Park, IL, 815-465-6653 www.minnemonesse.com

Mission Hills Country Club (PV) Northbrook, IL, 847-498-3200 www.missionhillsclub.com

Mistwood Golf Club (P) Romeoville, IL, 815-254-3333 www.mistwoodgc.com

Morningstar Golfers Club (P) Waukesha, WI, 262-662-1600 www.golfthestar.com

Morris Country Club (PV) Morris, IL, 815-942-3628 www.morriscountryclub.com

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Highland Park, IL, 847-432-6092 www.northmoor.org Arkdale, WI, 608-339-8500 www.northernbayresort.com

Rhinelander, WI, 715-282-6565 www.northwoodgolfclub.com Oak Brook, IL, 630-368-6400 www.oak-brook.org Genoa, IL, 815-784-5678 www.oakclubgenoa.com

Harvard, IL, 815-648-2550 www.oakgrovegolfcourse.com

Palos Heights, IL, 708-448-5544 www.oakhills.com Addison, IL, 630-595-0071 www.dupagegolf.com

Oak Park Country Club (PV) Oak Park, IL, 708-453-5554 www.oakparkcountryclub.com

Oak Springs Golf Course (P) St. Anne, IL, 815-937-1648 www.oakspringsgolf.com

Oak Terrace Resort (P) Pana, IL, 800-577-7598 www.oakterraceresort.com

The Oaks Golf Course (P)

Cottage Grove, WI, 608-837-4774 www.golftheoaks.com

Odyssey Country Club (P) Tinley Park, IL, 708-429-7400 www.odysseycountryclub.com

Old Elm Club (PV)

Fort Sheridan, IL, 847-432-6272 www.oldelmclub.com

Old Oak Country Club (P) Homer Glen, IL, 708-301-3344 www.oldoakcc.com

MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

Palatine Hills Golf Course (P) Palmira Golf Club (P) Palos Country Club (P)

Palos Hills Golf Club (P) Park Hills Golf Course (P) Park Ridge Country Club (PV) Peter Jans Golf Course (P) Pheasant Run Resort (R) Pheasant Valley Country Club (P) Crown Point, IN , 219-663-5000

Phillips Park Golf Course (P)

Aurora, IL, 630-256-3760 www.aurora-il.org/parksandrecreation

Pilgrim’s Run Golf Club (P) Pierson, MI, 888-533-7742 www.pilgrimsrun.com

Pine Hills Golf Club (P) Ottawa, IL, 815-434-3985 www.pinehillsgc.com

Pine Lakes Golf Club (P) Herrin, IL, 618-942-6816 www.PineLakes18.com

Pine Meadow Golf Club (P) Mundelein, IL, 847-566-4653 www.pinemeadowgc.com

Pinecrest Golf & Country Club (P) Huntley, IL, 847-669-3111 www.pinecrestgc.com

Pistakee Country Club (P) McHenry, IL, 815-385-9854

PV = Private, P = Public, R = Resort Plum Creek Country Club (P)

Rich Harvest Farms (PV)

Sandy Hollow Golf Course (P)

Plum Tree National Golf Club (P)

Ridge Country Club (PV)

Sandy Pines Golf Course (P)

Pottawatomie Golf Course (P)

Ridgemoor Country Club (PV)

Schaumburg Golf Club (P)

Prairie Bluff Public Golf Club (P)

Ridgeview Golf Course (P)

Scherwood Golf (P)

Prairie Isle Golf Club (P)

River Bend Golf Course (P)

Scovill Golf Club (P)

Prairie Lakes Resort (R)

River Forest Country Club (PV)

Senica Oak Ridge Golf Club (P)

River Glen Country Club (P)

SentryWorld (P)

River Heights Golf Course (P)

Settler’s Hill Golf Course (P)

Kalamazoo, MI, 269-343-3906

River Oaks Golf Course (P)

Seven Bridges Golf Club (P)

Byron, IL, 815-234-4653 www.prairieviewgolf.com

River Pointe Country Club (P)

Shady Oaks Country Club (P)

Riverside Golf Club (PV)

Shamrock Golf Course (P)

Rob Roy Golf Course (P)

Shanty Creek Resorts (R)

Robert A. Black Golf Club (P)

Shepherd’s Crook Golf Course (P)

Rockford Country Club (PV)

Shiloh Park Golf Course (P)

Rolling Green Country Club (PV)

Shoreacres (PV)

Royal Fox Country Club (PV)

Silver Lake Country Club (P)

Royal Hawk Country Club (PV)

Silver Oaks Golf Club (PV)

Royal Melbourne Country Club (PV)

Silver Ridge Golf Course (P)

Carmel, IN, 317-573-9900 www.plumcreekgolfclub.com Harvard, IL, 815-943-7474 www.plumtreegolf.com

St. Charles, IL, 630-584-8356 www.pottawatomiegc.com Crest Hill, IL, 815-836-4653 www.prairiebluffgc.com

Prairie Grove, IL, 815-356-0202 www.prairieisle.com Marseilles, IL, 815-795-5107

Prairie Landing Golf Club (P) West Chicago, IL, 630-208-7600 www.prairielanding.com

Prairie View Golf Club (P) Carmel, IN, 317-816-3100 www.prairieviewgc.com

The Prairies Golf Club (P) PrairieView Golf Course (P) Prairie Vista Golf Course (P) Bloomington, IL, 309-434-2217 www.prairievistagc.com

Prestwick Country Club (PV) Frankfort, 815-469-2136 www.prestwickcc.com

Purgatory Golf Club (P) Noblesville, IN, 317-776-4653 www.purgatorygolf.com

Quail Ridge Golf Club (P) Ada, MI, 616-676-2000 www.quailridgegc.com

Rail Golf Course (P)

Springfield, IL, 217-525-0365 www.railgolf.com

Randall Oaks Golf Club (P) West Dundee, IL, 847-428-5661 www.randalloaksgc.com

The Ravines (P)

West Lafayette, IN, 765-497-7888 www.ravinesgolf.com

Ravines Golf Club (P)

Saugatuck, MI, 269-857-1616 www.ravinesgolfclub.com

Ravinia Green Country Club (PV) Deerfield, IL, 847-945-6200 www.raviniagreen.com

Ravisloe Country Club (P) Homewood, IL, 708-798-5600 www.ravisloecountryclub.com

Red Tail Run Golf Club (P) Decatur, IL, 217-422-2211 www.redtailrun.org

RedTail Golf Club (P)

Village of Lakewood, IL, 815-477-0055 www.redtailgolf.com

Renwood Golf Course (P)

Round Lake Beach, IL, 847-231-4711 www.renwoodgolf.com

Resorts of Tullymore & St. Ives (R) Stanwood, MI, 800-972-4837 www.tullymoregolf.com

Sugar Grove, IL, 630-466-7610 www.richharvestfarms.com Chicago, IL, 773-238-9400 www.ridgecc.org Chicago, IL, 708-867-8400 www.ridgemoorcc.com

Kalamazoo, MI, 269-375-8821 www.ridgeviewgolf.com Lisle, IL, 630-968-1920 www.riverbendgolfclub.org

Elmhurst, IL, 630-279-5444 www.riverforestcc.org Fishers, IN, 317-849-8274 www.riverglencc.com DeKalb, IL, 815-758-1550 www.riverheightsgc.com

Calumet City, IL, 708-868-4090 www.forestpreservegolf.com/courses Hobart, IN, 219-942-2747 www.riverpointecc.net

North Riverside, IL, 708-447-8152 www.rgc.org Prospect Heights, IL, 847-253-4544 www.rtpd.org/golf Chicago, IL, 312-742-7931 www.cpdgolf.com/courses

Rockford, IL, 815-962-0948 www.rockfordcc.com

Arlington Heights, IL, 847-253-0400 www.rollinggreen.org St. Charles, IL, 630-584-4000 www.royalfoxcc.com St. Charles, IL, 630-443-3500 www.royalfoxcc.com

Long Grove, IL, 847-913-8380 www.royalmelbourne.net

Ruffled Feathers Golf Club (P) Lemont, IL, 630-257-1000 www.ruffledfeathersgc.com

Ruth Lake Country Club (PV) Hinsdale, IL, 630-986-2060 www.ruthlakecc.org

Rockford, IL, 815-987-8888 www.rockfordparkdistrict.org

DeMotte, IN, 219-987-3611 www.sandypinesgc.com

Schaumburg, IL, 847-885-9000 www.schaumburggolf.com Schererville, IN, 219-865-2554 www.scherwood.com

Decatur, IL, 217-429-6243 www.decatur-parks.org/golf/index.php LaSalle, IL, 815-223-7273 www.senicasoakridge.net

Stevens Point, WI, 866-479-6753 www.sentryworld.com Batavia, IL, 630-232-1636 www.settlershill.com

Woodridge, IL, 630-964-7777 www.sevenbridges.com Amboy, IL, 815-849-5424 www.shadyoakscc.com

St. Anne, IL, 815-937-9355 www.golfshamrock.com

Bellaire, MI, 231-533-8621 www.shantycreek.com Zion, IL, 847-872-2080 www.shepherdscrook.org Zion, IL, 847-746-5500 www.shilohparkgolf.com

Lake Bluff, IL, 847-234-1472 www.shoreacres1916.com Orland Park, IL, 708-349-6940 www.silverlakecc.com Braidwood, IL, 815-458-2068 www.braidwoodrecclub.com Oregon, IL, 815-734-4440

Skokie Country Club (PV) Glencoe, IL, 847-835-5835 www.skokiecc.com

South Gleason Park Golf Course (P) Gary, IN, 219-980-1089

South Shore Country Club (P)

Sage Run (P)

Cedar Lake, IN , 219-374-6070 www.southshorecc.com

Salt Creek Golf Club (P)

Momence, IL, 815-472-4407 www.ssgcm.com

The Sanctuary Golf Course (P)

Chicago, IL, 773-256-0986 www.cpdgolf.com/courses

Bark River, MI, 906-723-2251 www.islandresortgolf.com Wood Dale, IL, 630-773-0184 www.saltcreekgolfclub.com New Lenox, IL, 815-462-4653 www.golfsanctuary.com

South Shore Golf Club (P) South Shore Golf Course (P) Spider Lake Golf Resort (R) Hayward, WI, 715-462-3200 www.spiderlakegolfresort.com

WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

93

Midwest Select Spooner Golf Club (P)

Tagalong Golf Resort (R)

Valley Green Golf Course (P)

Sportsman’s Country Club (P)

Tahkodah Hills Golf Course (P)

Valley-Lo Sports Club (PV)

Spooner, WI, 715-635-3580 www.spoonergolf.com Northbrook, IL, 847-291-2351 www.sportsmansgolf.com

Springbrook Golf Course (P) Naperville, IL, 630-848-5060 www.springbrookgolfcourse.org

St. Andrews Golf & Country Club (P) West Chicago, IL, 630-231-3100 www.standrewsgc.com

St. Charles Country Club (PV) St. Charles, IL, 630-377-9340 www.stcharlescc.com

St. Ives Golf Club (R)

Stanwood, MI, 800-972-4837 www.tullymoregolf.com

Stardust Golf and Country Club (P)

Birchwood, WI, 800-657-4843 www.tagalonggolf.com Cable, WI, 715-798-3760

Tam O’Shanter Golf Course (P) Niles, IL, 847-965-2344 www.niles-parks.org

Tamarack Golf Club (P) Naperville, IL, 630-904-4000 www.tamarackgc.com

Tanna Farms Golf Club (P) Geneva, IL, 630-232-4300 www.tannafarms.com

Telemark Golf Course (P) Cable, WI, 715-798-3104 www.telemarkgolfcourse.com

Terrace Hill Country Club (PV)

Johnston City, IL, 618-527-4122

Algonquin, IL, 847-658-4653 www.terracehillgolf.com

Mundelein, IL, 847-949-8900 www.mundeleinparks.org

Kalamazoo, MI, 269-344-0040 www.thornapplecreek.com

Steeple Chase Golf Club (P)

Thornapple Creek Golf Club (P)

Stone Creek Golf Club (P)

ThunderHawk Golf Club (P)

Stonebridge Country Club (PV)

Timber Pointe Golf Club (P)

Stonehenge Golf Club (PV)

Timber Ridge Golf Club (P)

Stonewall Orchard Golf Club (P)

TimberStone at Pine Mountain (R)

Stony Creek Golf Course (P)

TPC Deere Run (SP)

Storybrook Country Club (P)

Traditions at Chevy Chase (P)

Streamwood Oaks Golf Club (P)

Trappers Turn Golf Club (P)

Sugar Creek Golf Course (P)

Tuckaway Golf Club (P)

Summertree Golf Course (P)

Tullymore Golf Club (R)

Urbana, IL, 217-367-3000 www.stonecreekgolfclub.com Aurora, IL, 630-820-8887 www.stonebridge-cc.org

Barrington IL, 847-381-8600 www.stonehengegolfclub.com Grayslake, IL, 847-740-4890 www.stonewallorchard.com

Oak Lawn, IL, 708-857-2433 www.golfstonycreek.com Hanover, IL, 815-591-2210 www.storybrook.com

Streamwood, IL, 630-483-1881 www.streamwood.org Villa Park, IL, 630-834-3325 www.sugarcreekgolfcourse.org

Crown Point, IN, 219-663-0800

Sunset Ridge Country Club (PV)

Beach Park, IL, 847-968-4295 www.lcfpd.org/thunderhawk

Poplar Grove, IL, 815-544-1935 www.golfthepointe.com Minocqua, WI, 715-356-9502 www.timberridgegolfclub.com

Iron Mountain, MI, 906-776-0111 www.pinemountainresort.com Silvis, IL, 309-796-6000 www.tpc.com/deererun

Wheeling, IL, 847-465-2300 www.chevychasecountryclub.com

Wisconsin Dells, WI, 800-221-8876 www.trappersturn.com Crete, IL, 708-946-2259 www.tuckawaygc.com

Stanwood, MI, 800-972-4837 www.tullymoregolf.com

North Aurora, IL, 630-897-3000 www.valleygreengc.com Glenview, IL, 847-729-5550 www.valleylo.org

Vernon Hills Golf Course (P) Vernon Hills, IL, 847-680-9310 www.vernonhillsgolf.com

Villa Olivia Country Club (P) Bartlett, IL, 630-289-1000 www.villaolivia.com

Village Green Golf Course (P) Mundelein, IL, 847-566-7373 www.villagegreengc.com

Village Greens of Woodridge (P) Woodridge, IL, 630-985-3610 www.villagegreensgolf.com

Village Links of Glen Ellyn (P) Glen Ellyn, IL, 630-469-8180 www.villagelinksgolf.com

Visit Green Lake

Green Lake, WI, 800-253-7354 www.visitgreenlake.com

Walnut Greens Golf Course (P) Schaumburg, IL, 847-490-7878 www.walnutgreensgolf.com

Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame (P)

South Bend, IN, 574-631-4653 www.warrengolfcourse.com

Water’s Edge Golf Club (P) Worth, IL, 708-671-1032 www.watersedgegolf.com

WeaverRidge Golf Club (P) Peoria, IL, 309-691-3344 www.weaverridge.com

Weber Park Golf Course (P)

Skokie, IL, 847-674-1500 ext. 3600 www.skokieparks.org

Wedgewood Golf Course (P) Plainfield, IL, 815-741-7270 www.wedgewoodgc.com

Western Acres Golf Course (P) Lombard, IL, 630-469-6768 www.westernacres.com

Westmoreland Country Club (PV) Wilmette, IL, 847-251-4600 www.westmorelandcc.org

Whisper Creek Golf Club (P)

Merrillville, IN, 219-980-5170

Huntley, IL, 847-515-7682 www.whispercreekgolf.com

Crystal Lake, IL, 815-459-3356 www.turnberrycc.com

Vernon Hills, IL, 847-680-6100 www.whitedeergolf.com

Northfield, IL, 847-446-5222 www.sunsetridgecc.org

Turkey Creek Golf Club (P)

Sunset Valley Golf Course (P)

Turnberry Country Club (PV)

White Deer Run Golf Club (P)

Twin Lakes Golf Club (P)

White Eagle Golf Club (PV)

Highland Park, IL, 847-432-7140 www.sunsetvalleygolfcourse.org

Swan Lake Resort (R)

Plymouth, IN, 800-582-7539 www.swanlakeresort.com

Swanhills Golf Course (P)

Westmont, IL, 630-852-7167

Twin Lakes Recreation Area (P)

Belvidere, IL, 815-547-3232

Palatine, IL, 847-934-6050 www.saltcreekpd.com

Harris, MI, 906-723-2251 www.sweetgrassgolfclub.com

Long Grove, IL, 847-634-3800 www.twinorchardcc.org

Sweetgrass Golf Club (R)

Twin Orchard Country Club (PV)

Sycamore Golf Club (P)

University Golf Club (P)

Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course (P)

University Ridge (P)

Sycamore, IL, 815-895-3884 www.sycamoreparkdistrict.com Chicago, IL, 312-742-7930 www.cpdgolf.com/courses

94

University Park, IL, 708-747-0306 www.universitygolfclub.com Verona, WI, 608-845-7700 www.universityridge.com

MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

Naperville, IL, 630-983-6836 www.whiteeaglegc.com

White Hawk Country Club (P) Crown Point, IN, 219-661-2323 www.whitehawkcountryclub.com

White Mountain Golf Course (P) Tinley Park, IL, 708-478-4653 www.whitemountaingolfpark.com

White Pines Golf Club (P) Bensenville, IL, 630-766-0304 www.whitepinesgolf.com

Whitetail Ridge Golf Club (P) Yorkville, IL, 630-882-8988 www.whitetailridgegolfclub.com

MIDWEST SELECT COURSES

PV = Private, P = Public, R = Resort

Whittaker Woods Golf Club (R)

Willowhill Golf Course (P)

Woodbine Bend Golf Course (PV)

Wicker Park Golf Club (P)

Wilmette Golf Club (P)

Woodbine Golf Course (P)

Wild Rock Golf Club (R)

Wing Park Golf Course (P)

Woodruff Golf Course (P)

Willow Crest Golf Club at Oak Brook Hills Marriott (R)

Winnetka Golf Club (P)

Woodstock Country Club (PV)

Wolf Run Golf Course (P)

Wynstone Golf Club (PV)

Wood Wind Golf Club (P)

Zigfield Troy Golf (P)

New Buffalo, MI, 269-469-3400 www.golfwhittaker.com Highland, IN, 219-838-9809 www.wickermemorialpark.com

Wisconsin Dells, WI, 608-253-4653 www.wildrockgolf.com Oak Brook, IL, 630-850-5530 www.willowcrestgolf.com

Willow Glen Golf Club (P) Great Lakes, IL, 847-688-4593 www.mwrgl.com/default.htm

Willow Run Golf Course (P) Mokena, IL, 815-485-2119 www.willowrungolf.net

Northbrook, IL, 847-480-7888 www.willowhillgolfcourse.com Wilmette, IL, 847-256-9646 www.golfwilmette.com Elgin, IL, 847-931-5952 www.cityofelgin.org

Winnetka, IL, 847-501-2050 www.winnetkagolfclub.com Aurora, IL, 630-906-1402 www.wolfrungolfcourse.net

Westfield, IN, 317-669-8550 www.woodwindgolf.com

Stockton, IL, 815-858-3939 www.woodbinebend.com

Homer Glen, IL, 708-301-1252 www.woodbinegolf.com Joliet, IL, 815-741-7272 www.woodruffgc.com

Woodstock, IL, 815-338-5355 www.woodstockcc.com

North Barrington, IL, 847-304-2810 www.wynstone.org Woodridge, IL, 630-985-9860 www.zigfieldtroygolf.com

Chicagoland Practice Facilities Addison Links & Tees Golf Facility (P)

Golf Farm

Partner Golf Center

BallyBunion

Long Grove, IL, 847-634-3363

Golf Learning Center at Hamilton Lakes

PGN Fun Village

Bartlett, IL, 630-830-9385

Green Valley Golf Range

Pro Circle

Birdies & Eagles

Greyslake Golf Practice Center

Riedy’s Tee Time

Bobby’s Hunt Club Golf Center

Harry Semrow Driving Range

Addison, IL, 630-458-2660 www.addisonparks.org

Wauconda, IL, 847-526-4000 www.golf-farm.com

Chicago, IL, 773-286-2060 www.partnergolfcenter.com

Itasca, IL, 630-773-7997

Hickory Hills, IL, 708-430-7900 www.hickoryhillsresortinfo.com

Gilberts, IL, 847-697-5000

Hanover Park, IL, 630-289-6600 www.greenvalleygolfrange.com

Spring Grove, IL, 815-675-2747 www.procirclegolf.com

South Elgin, IL, 847-931-2233

Grayslake, IL, 847-752-8483

Gurnee, IL, 847-549-6090

Des Plaines, IL, 847-296-5764 www.forestpreservegolf.com

Bartlett Golf Center Better Shots

Boulder Golf Range

Hoffman Estates, IL, 847-426-1588 www.boulderrange.com

Bushwood Golf Practice Center Maywood, IL, 708-344-2700 www.bushwooddrivingrange.com

Chicago Family Golf Center Chicago, 312-616-1234

Chicagoland Golf Academy Chicago, IL, 312-285-4673 www.chicagolandgolfacademy.com

Crystal Lake Learning Center Crystal Lake, IL, 815-479-9150

Diversey Driving Range Chicago, IL, 312-742-7929 www.cpdgolf.com/courses

Double Eagle Practice Center Justice, IL, 708-458-9200

Douglas Park Learning Course and Miniature Golf (P) Chicago, IL, 312-747-7670 www.cpdgolf.com/courses/douglas-park

Flagg Creek

Countryside, IL, 708-246-3336 www.flaggcreekgolfcourse.org

Fresh Meadow Learning Center (P) Hillside, IL, 708-449-6767 www.freshmeadowgc.com

Golf Center Des Plaines Des Plaines, IL, 847-803-4653 www.golfcenterdesplaines.com

Highland Park Learning Center Highland Park, IL, 847-433-3422 www.highlandparkillinois.net

Joe Louis Driving Range Riverdale, IL, 708-849-1731 www.forestpreservegolf.com

The Driving Range at Libertyville Sports Complex Libertyville, IL, 847-367-1506 www.libertyvillesportscomplex.com

Lisle, IL, 866-587-3122 www.riedysteetime.com

Skokie Sports Park

Skokie, IL, 847-674-1500 ext. 3100 www.skokieparks.org

Sugar Grove Driving Range Sugar Grove, IL, 630-466-4554 www.sugargrovefuncenter.com

Sunset Meadows

Arlington Heights, IL, 847-394-5865 www.ahpd.org/algc

T-Time Golf Range

Homer Glen, IL, 708-301-6500 www.ttimegolfrange.com

Links & Tees Golf Facility

TopGolf

Lippold Park Family Golf Center

The Players Club of Chicago

Marquette Park Learning Center (P)

Village of Bridgeview Sports Dome

Master Golf

Westland Golf

Addison, IL, 630-458-2660 www.addisonparks.org

Crystal Lake, IL, 815-477-5401 www.crystallakeparks.org Chicago, IL, 312-747-2761 www.cpdgolf.com

Grayslake, IL, 847-223-6886 www.mastergolfonline.com

Fresh Meadow Learning Center Hillside, IL, 708-449-6767 www.freshmeadowgc.com

Oakton Driving Range

Park Ridge, IL, 847-692-3580 www.parkridgeparkdistrict.com

Wood Dale, IL, 630-595-4653 www.topgolf.com Justice, IL, 708-924-9889 www.tpcchicago.com

Bridgeview, IL, 708-924-8290 www.villageofbridgeview.com Huntley, IL, 847-669-0204

Woodland Trails

Mt. Prospect, IL, 847-296-4653 www.rtpd.org

Zigfield Troy Golf (P)

Woodridge, IL, 630-985-9860 www.zigfieldtroygolf.com

Parfection Park Golf Center Yorkville, IL, 630-553-6855

WWW.GOLFTIMEMAG.COM

95

The Back Nine

Buying a game ... on a budget

J

ust like the prodigious tee shots being hit on the professional tours these days (a young South African on the European Tour hit one 439 yards this past November), the prices of various new golf equipment have become eye-popping. Drivers and putters costing $500 and sets of irons at $1,500 and up are common. The latest golf bags can set you back a ton, too. Puzzling? On the one hand, yes — especially during a time when paychecks are often smaller than they have been in the past. On the other hand, no — due to the tragic and scary pandemic, the resulting downtime and a strong desire to be outside led lots of people to take up golf and plenty of regular golfers to play even more.

In fact, according to the National Golf Foundation, this past September “saw a 26 percent jump in rounds played year-overyear, with every state in the continental United States reporting an increase.” Simple supply and demand: when rounds go up, prices go up. That includes golf equipment, too. According to independent market research company GolfDatatech, equipment sales broke a record last July. The total in sales, both on and off the golf courses, was a whopping $388.6 million.

As a long time golf traditionalist, however (meaning: I’m older than dirt), I’ve long poopooed the idea that most recreational golfers could “buy a game.” I scoffed that a weekend player, lacking proper fundamentals, could spend big bucks on a new big-headed driver or a big-name set of irons and immediately improve his or her game. Well, I was wrong.

Not that I don’t feel proper fundamentals are important; I still do.

96

MIDWEST GOLF IN YOUR HANDS

by Danny Freels

What I’ve learned, though, is that the new materials and new technology in today’s clubs can help us hit better shots and more of them.

What I’ve also learned is that we don’t have to sell the farm to get those helpful clubs. Three years ago, my daughters bought me a coupleyears-old, adjustable Titleist driver from 2nd Swing, a Minnesota company. I don’t know what they paid for it but it wasn’t top dollar.

And I love it.

2nd Swing isn’t the only place to find used, less-expensive high-tech equipment. Ebay is another source, as are golf stores such as Golf Galaxy. Carl’s Golfland here in southeast Michigan is where I shop for new used clubs.

This past summer, I bought a year-old Srixon H65 hybrid, a year-old Callaway Apex attack wedge, and a YES putter. All were in excellent condition, and I got all three for less than $150. Talk about Christmas in July!

Hey, for those players that can afford the latest high-tech tools without a blemish on them, I say good for you. For those players on a budget, though, do some research. I know for sure you can come up with used equipment that’s better than what you’re using now.

And for less than you think. Right now, I’m on a mission to find a “new” used sand wedge to fit my game and budget.

I bet you I’ll find it.

JUNE 11-13, 2021 University Ridge Golf Course | Madison, WI Visit AMFAMCHAMPIONSHIP.COM for tickets and more information

Steve Stricker, Tournament Host

@AmFamchampionship @AmFamchamp /AmFamchampionship

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