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EDITOR'S LETTER

Change is in the Air for 2022 Regular readers of the Michigan Golf Journal may have noticed some slight adjustments in the December magazine, with an updated logo and new website address: www.MIgolfjournal.com. All changes are an effort to keep the magazine relevant and progressing forward with a new designer and webmaster as well to provide the best magazine attributes for readers.

WHAT'S INSIDE:

PG. 16

This year is the start of the fifth year I have written (with freelance helpers) and managed this publication, with the relentless focus to bring you the Michigan golf news that very few other publications offer. You have many golf media options at the national level but almost all local coverage has disappeared. Michigan Golf Journal is meant to fill that void while providing entertaining golf news and travel features. This month we lead off with DeWitt’s Liz Nagel and her very personal story about cancer survival and how it helped her approach the LPGA Tour Q-Series in the fight for a full-time Card.

PG. 20

Lake Orion’s Tom Gillis got his PGA Tour Champions Card back with a top-5 finish at QSchool in December. He entertains us with his shoot-from-the-hip opinions on Q-School, Tiger, Twitter and more, found on pages 16-18. The National Golf Course of the Year is a Michigan course for the third time in the last four years! Clearly our golf-loving state is dominant in the industry. For 2022 it is Sweetgrass Golf Course at the Island Resort near Escanaba (starting page 10). There is so much more with GAM Junior Players of the Year, including a longer piece on Sophie Stevens and how her older sister with Autism is an inspiration to her; travel golf at Disney World (pages 20-22) plus a huge project to completely remake the Inn at St. Johns into a Midwest destination course (pages 30-32).

Happy New Year, Tom Lang Editor and Publisher

LPGA TOUR Michigan Women’s Open champion

Liz Nagel’s Cancer Recovery Helps Motivate LPGA Tour Experiences By Liz Nagel With Michael Arkush of Golf Digest

Editor’s Note: DeWitt native and MSU grad Liz Nagel wrote this deeply personal piece below the week after Thanksgiving. She subsequently placed in the top 30 at the LPGA Tour Q-Series to earn conditional status for the 2022 season. Although the time and place of this story occurred several weeks ago, I felt it was still very important to share with our readers her state of mind going into the finals, and her heroic story that spans more than 9 years and so many challenges she’s overcome along the way. We hope it inspires others to conquer anything they think they cannot face. Here I go again, to the LPGA Q-Series in Alabama (Dec. 2-5 and Dec. 9-12), hoping for the job security that would mean everything. To be in this uncertain position for the fifth time in eight years, and only weeks after turning age 30, I should be down on myself. I’m better than this. I’m better than

having to audition again over eight rounds—eight, if I’m sharp enough (there’s a cut

much greater challenges than this.

after four)—to prove I belong on the LPGA with the top women golfers in the world.

In 2012, on this very same week after Thanksgiving, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. At the time I didn’t

Well, I know I belong.

even really know what a thyroid was. Do you? The thyroid is the organ that

And I have news for you: I’m not down on myself. Not in the least. I’ve been through

Continues on next page >>

LPGA TOUR controls your metabolism, hormones, body temperature and so much more. I was in college at the time, a junior at Michigan State, when my coach sent me to see the doctor, and I didn’t think much of it. Just another cold, I thought; give me some cough medicine and I’ll rest up this weekend. It had been a busy fall season, but we were a top-ranked team in the country and my team needed me. I was one of the top players in our lineup, also with a respectable individual ranking, hoping to lead us to another Big Ten championship. Not so fast, Dr. Kovan said. You’ve been sick a couple of times this fall and don’t seem to be getting healthy. Let’s do a more thorough exam. He felt my neck, which was expectedly swollen, but one spot in particular really stood out. “Did you notice this?” he asked. No, I said. I knew I felt like crap and was up most of the night coughing, but was otherwise oblivious to the lump he found. There was a

lump. Once he pointed it out you couldn’t miss it. After an ultrasound to verify what we

my extended family at Thanksgiving. I distinctly remember feeling like things

both felt was a swollen lymph node, the next step was a needle biopsy and test the

were sort of hanging in the balance. Why bother sharing? It was probably nothing. It

tissue for cancer.

was hopefully nothing. But

I didn’t share this news with

Continues on page 6 >>

LPGA TOUR I’m a golfer. I take it — sorry for the cliché — one shot at a

the course and I have a bad hole or two (or three), I can

my family through that holiday season, I wasn’t able

time.

easily take myself back to those days in the hospital. I won’t bore you with

to really feel that lucky until much later. Anyone who has gone or is going through this knows that feeling. It’s like

the medical details, except that the surgery to remove my thyroid and my golf ball-sized lump took place about a month later. I have the

letting out the biggest deep breath but being afraid to at the same time. After the surgery, a radioactive iodine treatment, and a little more

memories (and the scar) to prove it. The scar starts in front and goes halfway up my

than a year later, they told me he cancer was gone.

neck toward my ear. It has a curved-L shape; L, I suppose, for lucky. I would be OK.

Fast forward to today. This past season on the LPGA, my fourth playing in a handful of LPGA events, I had two top20s in 14 starts, a tie for 19th at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in New Jersey and a tie for 17th at the ISPS Handa World

A few days later, sitting in the office with my parents and the ENT doctor, we heard the C word for the first time. My world spun around me for a few minutes, and then I began to process. My mind eventually gravitated to another C word: checklist. • How do we treat this? • What do we do next? • How do I keep this life I cherish? • How do I tell my coach? My team? And to everyone’s surprise, including mine, the first words out of my mouth were: “When can I play golf again?” What I went through all those years ago is never far from my mind, and I see that as a good thing. When I’m on

But between the countless trips to the hospital, and the stress I could see was put on

LPGA TOUR Invitational in Northern Ireland. The T-17 was my best

their cards and be done with the worst two words in the

when I’m playing in a tournament, making it hard

LPGA finish ever. I finished 129th in the CME Race to the Globe standings (the top 100 keep their cards), but a couple

English language: conditional status.

for me to focus. I also struggle with dramatic temperature changes, my body working triple time to figure out how

of breaks here and there, and I could have been in contention to win.

years ago is never far from my mind, and I see that as a good thing. When I’m on the course and I have a bad hole or two (or three), I can easily take myself back to those days in the hospital. To the day the doctor said the C word that took my breath away.

One thing that helped enormously was something one of my peers, Natalie Gulbis, told me a few months back. Focus on trying to make at least six birdies every round, she said. At the end of the tournament after four rounds, 24 birdies sounded pretty good. It sounds so simple but it works, and if I can do that at Q-Series, I’ll be one of the 20 players to earn

What I went through all those

Every so often, I have what’s Every so often, I have what’s known as a bad thyroid day. Or in my case a no thyroid day. I get really tired, foggy, and don’t feel like getting out of bed. It happens sometimes

to get back to normal. I’m coming up on eight years cancer free this winter but will still have some of these side effects to battle and manage for the rest of my life.

I consider myself to be a pretty private person. So why tell my story now? It’s simple. I want others to know that obstacles can turn into opportunities and that each of us can handle more than we think. I also Continues on page 9 >> Liz with her best friend, grandma

LPGA TOUR learned that’s it’s OK to not always be OK, and that it’s important to lean on the people around us. I not only had my family, but my team and my coaches. I will never forget how much that helped keep me going. We never know how truly strong we are until being strong is the only choice we have. A few years ago, I received a message from a girl who also played golf for my high school in DeWitt, Mich. Ironically enough, she, too, had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I was able to walk her through what she would be feeling at every stage of the process. Making even a small difference in her life and helping her cancer journey meant more than any golf tournament I ever won, and I hope I can help others, as well. As for Q-Series, I’ve defied the odds at this qualifying tournament a few times before. But I know how it feels to be on the wrong side of the cut line (she made the cut). If that happens again, I won’t be deterred. I’ll try again next year. And the year after that. The future couldn’t be brighter for me and this journey.

Liz Nagel and Natalie Gulbis

More stories available on our new website:

www.MIGolfJournal.com

SWEETGRASS GOLF COURSE

Sweetgrass, A Jewel of the U.P., Selected National Golf Course of the Year By Tom Lang First came Michigan. Soon it will be national. The Sweetgrass Golf Course located near Escanaba at the Island Resort and Casino will soon be awarded the National Golf Course of the Year, sources that could not say so publicly have indicated to me. Typically, the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) makes its announcement in late January at the annual Business Conference in Orlando. The Michigan Golf Course Association named Sweetgrass the 2021 Michigan Golf Course of the Year in October; and as a regional winner it was then considered for the NGCOA honor known

officially as the Jemsek National Golf Course of the Year. The award goes beyond playing a golf course to recognize a course that epitomizes exceptional course quality and management excellence, makes important contributions to its communities and the game and is a model of operations to its peers. One source indicated that Sweetgrass beat out Streamsong Red in Florida, another regional candidate. “When we received the Michigan Golf Course of the Year award back in October, we were very excited," said Tony Mancilla, general manager of Island Resort & Casino.

WWW.MIGOLFJOURNAL.COM

"Michigan has a lot of great courses, so just winning our state was huge. You have to do more things for the game and help promote golf, and we’re doing that on a lot of different levels."

One of the resort's two courses, Sweetgrass, opened in 2008 to rave reviews. Designed by Paul Albanese, Sweetgrass features an open layout with some of golf’s most fun greens to putt (Redan, Biarritz, Island and Double-

Island Resort & Casino, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula’ largest resort destination, sits 13 miles west of Escanaba in Harris, and is owned and operated by the Hannahville Indian

Green). Throughout the course, golfers will also come across a rich history of the Hannahville Indian Community, with holes named after traditional Potawatomi clans,

Community, a federally recognized Potawatomi Indian Tribe. The casino first opened as a bingo hall in 1981, then in 1991 expanded with the Chip-

villages, allies, medicines and symbols. The dedication to nature and the area’s heritage makes for a unique golf experience. The

In Casino on its present site. The late 1990's saw the expansion of the casino, a showroom and convention center. The next decade brought further major expansion, with the 11-story Palm Tower rooms, more restaurants, and more golf.

course also plays host to the Symetra Tour's Island Resort Championship. The resort management takes pride in its Continues on next page >>

SWEETGRASS GOLF COURSE

contribution to the community through the Island Resort Championship, which debuted in 2011 and has become the premier community event in the region. The Strong Kids Campaign - YMCA is the event's official charity and guarantees that all kids, regardless of income, have an opportunity to receive free YMCA memberships. Other local charities and nonprofits have also received more than $250,000 raised from the tournament's ticket sales. “The Symetra Tour event raises about $100,000 each year, and that’s about onequarter of the entire YMCA annual funding in membership scholarships," explained Mancilla. "It gives underprivileged kids of economically struggling families a chance to rent time at the YMCA." The YMCA golf program is also supported by this effort, providing clubs for kids to use and youth golf clinics for them to participate in during the tournament. “I think the biggest thing is having the pros play and the kids watch them," Mancilla said. "It’s exciting when they're here playing. They are young golfers trying to make their way and find something, and trying to accomplish a huge

goal. And we’re right in the middle of it, watching. Hopefully the little kids will think they can do it, too.” Sweetgrass features masterfully crafted rockwork with a prairie links style. The course challenges with an island green on number 15 and a pair of spectacular waterfalls that greet golfers as they play up the twin par five 9th and 18th holes to an enormous, shared green. My one career hole-in-one is at Sweetgrass. Continues on next page >>

WWW.MIGOLFJOURNAL.COM Green complexes like a Biarritz and a Redan, along with historic wood and iron bridges rescued from other areas in the state, are compelling design components and part of the story of the course – along with links to its Native American roots. Sweetgrass has been ranked by Golfweek, GOLF Magazine and Golf Digest in various ‘bestcourses’ lists. “It’s my own philosophy and the Native American philosophy that we always try to make the design fit the land, and truly allowing it to reflect the principles of Native Americans’ respect for the land,” said course designer Paul Albanese, a Michigan transplant from east coast Harvard and now a Plymouth resident. “This also worked as inspiration for stories to share throughout the course. We put some wooden posts in the side of a hill (along the fairway) that are representative of (the remains of) a fort, from the 1650’s,” Albanese said about one of the design elements at Sweetgrass. “And the green complex itself worked out very nicely to be a redan style green. And a redan is the French word for fortress.”

SWEETGRASS GOLF COURSE

New, Bigger Accommodations Now Open

150 to 200 people every weekend made us realize how much we needed new rooms, another top dining option, and additional options for the family. On the golf side, this elevates our status as a premier golf destination.”

A brand-new development now weaved into the fabric of the property is a hotel expansion that opened on New Year’s Eve. The hotel expansion, at an investment of $33 million, connects to the south end of the current 11-story Palm Tower. It has 138 new guest rooms and suites (bringing the property’s guest room total to 454), the Horizons Steakhouse located on the top floor featuring the best views in the region, and Splash Island, a new family waterpark. Guest rooms also include specialized golf and spa suites featuring a luxury experience with hot tubs and a unique option of getting in-room massages. There will also be 34 rooms that can be converted into 17 family-style suites for people who want to bring children to the new waterpark and pool areas. Mancilla said the new hotel was developed out of necessity. “Our demand and backlog of guests who wanted to get in on the weekends had become overwhelming,” he said. “The waiting lists of

This expansion provides an added perk for golfers with the luxurious golf suites. The 675 sq ft suites are complete with a King, double queen, and a common area, all with breathtaking views of the Sweetgrass Golf Course – perfect for foursomes looking for added space and a fun environment. “Over the past ten years and with the addition of Sage Run, we have become a very popular destination for golfers,” Mancilla said. “Adding the new rooms and golf suites will be an exciting lodging option and make their overall experience that much more enjoyable.” Sweetgrass will be the third Michigan property in the last four years to become National Golf Course of the Year. Stoatin Brae, part of the Gull Lake View Resort family of courses, won the 2021 award, and The Heather at Boyne Highlands was the winner in early 2019. “That doesn’t surprise me because we have a really strong golf state,” Mancilla added. “Golf is so important to Michigan, and our tourism economy. We have a lot of people who are enthusiasts and people who own these courses are doing what they can to grow the game. Whoever comes out of the state of Michigan is going to be a strong candidate for the National award.”

MICHIGAN MAN ON TOUR

Michigan’s Tom Gillis Qualifies for A Full Year on PGA Tour Champions By Tom Lang

Lake Orion native Tom Gillis survived a late-round struggle on the last few holes of the PGA Tour Champion’s final stage of Q-School that took place at TPC Tampa Bay in mid-December, holding on to claim the fifth and final fullexemption spot for the 2022 season. More recently a resident of Jupiter, Fla., Gillis shared his perspective during a series of topics we discussed, laid out in the sections that follow:

Should the PGA Tour Champions Tour eliminate Q-School?

Gillis explained how unfair he thinks the current system is for allowing just five exemptions for the entire year. He would rather see expanding chances to reward more players who are playing well at the time of Monday qualifiers.

of an advocate that we do away with this format (awarding 5 season-long cards) and add five extra spots to Monday qualifiers, so we’d have nine spots (instead of top 4) every Monday and you’d still get good stories.

“I’m in the last group on the last day and looking around

“Not a lot of guys commit to the Monday qualifiers because only four advance,” Gillis

(at total of six golfers) and I’m thinking one of us isn’t going to make it (tour card) and we’re all playing about 8under par,” he said about Q-

continued. “Now if you have 9 spots it generates more excitement and a chance to get in. I mean 9 spots, that’s pretty generous. If I lost my

School. “And we’re all playing our ass of and I’m thinking

card, I’d be counting on those nine spots. I was already

this is a little harsh. I’m more

hedging toward the Monday

WWW.MIGOLFJOURNAL.COM qualifiers like I did so many years before. I didn’t think I was going to get one of those five cards because I came in (to the finals) not playing very well.”

Gillis’ 2022 Goals: “I would like to have a better grasp of my game throughout the course of the year, so when we do get off track it shouldn’t take as long to get back on track. That’s definitely my top goal. “Maybe not play too much. If you’re worn out or not home and missing the family, we don’t necessarily have to keep playing. The more I play the worse I get, like toward the end of the year when we were stringing all these events together, I just didn’t have anything (left). I probably would have been better off going home for two weeks and sorting things out and getting your head quieted down.”

Tiger Woods on the Senior tour? “I wouldn’t be surprised. The fact you can use a cart on that Tour, and he could probably qualify for an American

Disability Act (exemption) on the PGA Tour (now). “I would not be surprised at all if he came out and played a few (on the Champions). My 16-year-old son asked the same thing the other day, and I said I don’t think he’ll be a mainstay (on the over-50 tour) because about then his son Charlie will be late teens and Tiger would take great pride in seeing that through, so I don’t think he’d commit to a full season, just like Phil isn’t. “Tiger’s still got a lot of compete in him. It’s hard to get that out of somebody’s system.”

Phil and Furyk: “I figured we’d see Phil a little bit, and then once he got out here, I knew he was going to love it because it’s such a casual tour. It’s almost like the golf gods have shined on you when you earn Champions Tour status. It’s so laid back. Some of the guys who were prickly or edgy before aren’t edgy anymore. They’ve made their money; the kids are grown and there’s a lot of camaraderie out here. “Like Jim Furyk, he’s one of the quietist guys I knew on Continues on next page>>

MICHIGAN MAN ON TOUR by the PGA Tour in the past and he is still told now and then to remove Twitter content. “I always said I’d never get involved in politics on it,” Gillis told me. “I said it for years and really never did… I don’t think I’m a great follow unless you’re a diehard Republican, but I fight the fight and I always shake it off when people say, ‘you’re great on Twitter.’ I wouldn’t call it great, maybe angry (he said with a chuckle). “I guess I care. I’m a patriot just like the next guy. And I’m passionate about it. Me and Scott Dunlap, we get a lot of calls from the Tour. They want us to take posts down and we do usually, we don’t fight it too much.”

(PGA) Tour. I never really knew him but now I feel like I really know Jim. I consider

themselves like before when they were being pulled in so many different directions.

him a friend. I can talk to him about anything. He’s great. He will even tell you, ‘I had a

To Tweet or Not to Tweet:

wall up, being so focused for playing for all that money.’”

Despite the PGA Tour’s decision in 2021 to reward

Gillis added that in the later years Tour players no longer

social media activity with millions of dollars, Gillis’ gut-

have to build a bubble around

honest posts have been chided

CHECK OUT THE NEW MICHIGAN GOLF JOURNAL WEBSITE:

WWW.MIGOLF JOURNAL.COM

DISNEY WORLD GOLF

Disney World Golf By Dave Daubert

When Walt Disney sketched his original plans for the Central Florida resort that opened in 1971, he set aside a large area and simply labeled it as "golf." While not a golfer himself, Disney recognized the game would have an important role as he created a new family destination to build on the success of California's Disneyland, which did not have a golf amenity. Through ties with Arnold Palmer that began in that first year and continues today through Arnold Palmer Golf Management, the resort now sees upwards of 200,000 rounds played annually at

TOUR event that would first be held at the property later that year and then continue under various formats and names (most commonly as the Walt Disney World Golf Classic) for 42 years.

its four courses.

Crenshaw, Vijay Singh and David Duval.

Disney Golf celebrated its 50th anniversary along with Walt Disney World, and while the sport is just one of the resort's many amenities

Disney's three championship 18-hole golf courses originally designed by Joe Lee include the Palm, which was renovated and

and activities, it has played an integral role in the guest experience over the past five decades.

reimagined by Palmer in 2013 and shortly thereafter earned industry recognition as the

The late Arnold Palmer's ties extend back those 50 years, when he served as a consultant for the Walt Disney World Open Invitational, a PGA

U. S. renovation of the year. The Magnolia, the site of the Disney Classic, and Lake Buena Vista courses both have bunkers shaped like Mickey Mouse's head. The 9-hole Oak Trail is

Palmer even took an inaugural test ride on the Disney monorail on the same day he became a consultant. Jack Nicklaus won the first three titles, starting a legacy of champions that would include winners such as Tiger Woods, Payne Stewart, Raymond Floyd, Ben

WWW.MIGOLFJOURNAL.COM a family friendly layout that's particularly conducive to walking beginners, seniors and those with time constraints. The Disney Golf resort has been ranked by Golf Digest as one of the top destinations for a family golf trip. "We have a commitment to being guest-centric creating an all-encompassing experience that is uniquely Disney while providing the opportunity to play where champions were crowned," said General Manager Bruce Gerlander, PGA. "We task ourselves with melding the flair of the resort with upholding the classic traditions of the game of golf that our founder, Mr. Arnold Palmer, stood proud and tall for, every day of his life." For guests (and families) overwhelmed with luggage, Disney Golf rents golf clubs as well as golf shoes, and there is complimentary transportation to the courses from the Walt

Disney World Resort hotels. Disney Vacation Club members have access to a low-cost membership that includes eight rounds of traditional golf (four at Oak Trail and four twilight rounds), eight rounds of Foot Golf, and complimentary buckets of range balls. While the courses at Disney World are challenging enough for the game's best golfers, they're also friendly enough to accommodate players of all abilities. It's another reason the Disney Golf courses have become known as ‘The Happiest Place on Turf,’ a nod to Disney's official tagline of ‘The Happiest Place on Earth.’ "Obviously playing and winning there is great, but it's mostly about the family," said Davis Love III, another former winner during the Continues on next page>>

DISNEY WORLD GOLF

PGA TOUR's 42 year run at Walt Disney World. "We played the parent-child tournament, and the kids looked forward to it. We rode the monorail and staying right there at the golf

course is just so much fun. I have great memories of Disney golf." For more information, visit www.GolfWDW.com.

JUNIOR GIRL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Sophie Stevens Named Junior Girl Player of the Year By Tom Lang

Qualified for U.S. Women’s Amateur at age 15, inspired by family to succeed Sophie Stevens has had enough wonderful golf career experiences for women 2-to-3 times her age, yet it looks like she’s just getting started. Stevens earned Junior Girl Player of the Year for 2021 after a season in which she won the GAM Junior Kickoff tournament to start the season and was stroke play medalist in the Michigan Girls’ Junior State Amateur. Yet her biggest experience and certain points generator came from qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Amateur, where she was added to the annals of being one of the younger in history to play in that national event.

“Even though I just missed match play I felt pretty good about the way I played,” she said. “It was a fun experience. I was playing well until I made double bogey on 15 (in the final round of stroke play). It was a bit of a stinger the way I finished there, but I’m taking the positives and the experience of playing that week. “That was by far one of the coolest things I’ve done. As a USGA event it was so prestigious. Everything was done with excellence. Even the little details like your name plaque on the range. That’s cool to see.

Stevens, who just turned 16 in late December,

“But just playing against the top amateurs in the country was so cool, especially since lots of

said playing in the U.S. Women’s Amateur and narrowly missing the cut into match play, was

them are in college and I was one of the youngest people there and thinking wow, I still

the highlight of the summer.

have all these years,” Stevens added. “The best

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caddy. “He did a really good job of keeping it fun. If I got disappointed or a little annoyed at myself, because obviously not everything goes as you would plan, he’d remined me why we were there, to have fun, and we did well at that together.” Mark Stevens was an assistant pro at Pine Lake CC for three years after college, and taught each of his five children the golf swing as part of “gym class” for their homeschool experience. Sophie is the one that caught onto the game the most.

competition I’ve played against, definitely, by far. “My dad and I went out there just to enjoy it and I think we did pretty well at it.” Good thing, because her dad’s fun and positive attitude bought him more time on the bag as future caddy. Many young golfers cannot perform well when parents get that close to the situation, but Sophie gave a lot of credit to her father, Mark, who first taught her the game. “I don’t envision it yet,” Sophie said with a laugh when asked if she’d have to fire her

“She just likes competing more than anything and it happens to be golf that she’s excelling in,” Mark Stevens said. “But it just as easily could be some other sport. She likes to have something on the line to win. Sophie gets into a mean game of Candyland with her younger brother; it doesn’t matter what the activity is.” Homeschooling fulltime keeps Sophie out of high school competition, but she said that’s okay. She plays 25-30 tournaments a year. She thinks she would enjoy the social aspects of high school golf and hopes to find that when college offers come along. She is the second youngest of the Stevens’ five kids, which includes her oldest sister, Samantha, at age 20. Samantha has Autism and remains non-verbal. Mark said she uses a keyboard to communicate. Continues on next page>>

JUNIOR GIRL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Sophie gets into a mean game of Candyland with her younger brother

Sophie said that her sister’s challenges, “have definitely made me more compassionate, and more sensitive to people who are often overlooked,” she said. “I’ve realized that everyone is just as special as every other person, and they should all be treated that way. And then obviously, when you think your day is bad, or you’re being treated unfairly, I can always look to her and realize her situation

that react about my chance to go there; then I realized more it is a big deal.”

is harder than mine so I can always be thankful and try to help her out in any way I can.”

perfect the game, so I like that about it. And the fact I am super competitive really helped.”

“Golf is just something I found out I’m good at, and that along with my competitive spirit I love the creativity of the game, Sophie added. “You can hit so many different shots and there’s always something that you’re bound to be working on to get better. You can never

Sophie competed in the 2019 Drive, Chip and Putt in the 12-13 category, finishing middle of the pack. Now she has her eye on the Augusta National Women’s Amateur as a future goal. “Not many people get to go to Augusta, even just to walk the course,” she said about the 2019 visit. “And I didn’t quite understand that at that age, but now that I see so many people

Sophie and Sergio

JUNIOR PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

Cheboygan’s PJ Maybank III Tops Junior Boys’ Points List

the whole week at the Michigan Junior was something I really wanted to accomplish again.” Maybank, 16 and an online junior student through the Cheboygan Schools, has been named the Golf Association of Michigan Junior Boys’ Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. He is also the reigning Mr. Golf in the high school ranks.

By Greg Johnson PJ Maybank III of Cheboygan feels he played consistent golf through the summer, but that his best stretch of play came in the U.S. Junior Amateur and the Michigan Junior State Amateur in back-to-back weeks in late July. “Going there, playing well, and making it to match play in the U.S. Junior Amateur, losing in the first round, but then coming home and winning the Michigan Junior, being the (stroke play) medalist and then winning it again in match play, those were my best backto-back weeks of the summer,” he said. “I had this vision of the U.S. Junior Amateur, my first USGA event, and playing in it at Country Club of North Carolina (Pinehurst, N.C.) blew it out of the water. What a great experience. Then to come home and play well

Maybank, a GAM member through Hidden River Golf & Casting Club in Brutus and Youth on Course Michigan, won two AJGA tournaments over the summer – the AJGA Coca-Cola Junior Championship at Boyne Highlands Resort in Harbor Springs and the Randy Wise Junior Open at Spring Meadows Country Club in Linden. With his second consecutive Michigan Junior State Amateur title he finished with 1,770 Player of the Year points. Justin Sui of Lake Orion and a member through Youth on Course Michigan finished second with 856 points. Sui was the runner-up to Maybank in the Michigan Junior State Amateur and also the Coca-Cola Junior. Lorenzo Pinili of Rochester Hills and Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, the winner of the GAM Junior Invitational, was third with 793 points.

JUNIOR PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

Richland’s Max VanderMolen Tops 15-and-under Points List

and Connor Fox of Lake Orion and Indianwood Golf & Country Club, the GAM Junior Invitational 15-and-under winner, was third with 740 points. “I had one of my best summers with some of my best wins,” VanderMolen said. “It feels awesome to be Player of the Year.” VanderMolen first made his presence known in GAM tournaments at age 10 as the youngest to ever qualify for the Michigan Junior Amateur Championship and at age 11 finished

By Greg Johnson Richland’s Max VanderMolen has already been making Michigan golf news for a handful of years, despite just turning age 14. He’s making more news now. A two-time winner in GAM tournaments this summer, VanderMolen has been named the Golf Association of Michigan Junior Boys’ 15-

second in the national Drive, Chip and Putt Finals. He did the age-defying trick again this summer. He was 13 when he made the 36-hole cut at the Michigan Open Championship at The Bear at Grand Traverse Resort in the early summer. Despite incomplete records, he is believed to be the youngest to qualify for the starting field and the youngest to ever make the cut.

and-under Player of the Year.

“I don’t feel any pressure being young and playing against older guys,” he said. “I just try

VanderMolen, a GAM member through Gull

to do my best in every tournament and what happens, happens.”

Lake Country Club, won the 15-and-under bracket of the Michigan Junior Amateur Championship and was the GAM Junior Stroke Play champion to key his 1,211 points. Cooper Reitsma of Ada and Cascade Hills Country Club had several top finishes across the season in finishing second with 965 points,

He said the best moment of the summer was winning the Michigan Junior Amateur 15-andunder title, followed by opening the GAM Junior Stroke Play Championship with a 5under 66 at Forest Akers East. He went on to shoot 7-under and win the title the next day.

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Ann Arbor’s Mia Melendez Tops 15-and-under Girls’ Points List

to start 2021 in the season-opening GAM Junior Kickoff, and then was the stroke play medalist and overall winner of the 15-and-under age division in the Michigan Girls Junior State Championship. She totaled 1,330 points for the season. Alena Li of Okemos, also a Youth on Course Michigan member, won the GAM Invitational 15-and-under title at the end of the season and was runner-up to Melendez in the Michigan Girls Junior. She finished second with 820 points.

By Greg Johnson Mia Melendez of Ann Arbor worked on her golf game as she became bigger and stronger and hit the ball farther, and those factors worked together in championship fashion in 2021. Melendez, a 14-year-old Ann Arbor Greenhills student, was named the Golf Association of Michigan Junior Girls’ 15-and-under Player of the Year.

Lauren Timpf of Macomb, Burning Tree Golf Club and Youth on Course played most of her tournaments in the overall or higher age division. She still managed 650 points in 15and-under play keyed by topping Melendez in the final match of the GAM 15-and-under Match Play Championship. Melendez, who works with Dave Kendall of Kendall Golf Academy as her instructor, said she has worked on all aspects of her game in recent years.

“It feels great to be player of the year,” she said. “After all of my accomplishments this year I feel I’m well-deserving and I worked hard to earn this title.”

“I definitely improved a lot this year and in winning some big tournaments like the Michigan Junior Am I could see my growth,” she said. “I was able to show my strengths as a player.bI stay solid and I hit the ball straight

Melendez, a GAM member through Youth on

and far, and my mental game is stronger, too.

Course Michigan and the Polo Fields Golf & Country Club, won her first GAM tournament

It helped me secure wins in tournaments this year.”

REMAKING INN AT ST. JOHNS

Inn at St. Johns a Remake on Steroids By Tom Lang Award-winning course architect Raymond Hearn believes the totally new development he’s designing at the Inn at St. Johns in Plymouth will be a project for the ages. Yet what really convinced him was the response from the three most notable golf course contractors in America – think projects at Oakland Hills South and Baltusrol Country Club for example – called him to say they want to bid on The Inn at St. Johns. “They are three of the largest construction contractors in the country,” Hearn said came knocking on his door in Holland. “And it’s kind of endearing because they are three companies that don’t like to get involved with resort or public courses. They do all private projects. “But when they looked at this, they said with

the 18 holes, the Par 3 and the Putting Course, this is just going to be something else. And I replied it’s going to be a lot of fun.” The masterplan generating so much talk in western Wayne County will transform a nice 27-hole layout that was perfect for local league play, into an 18-hole championship course over 7,000 yards, an 18-hole Putting Course and a 7-to-9-hole Par 3 Course. Add that to the existing exquisite facilities at the former Catholic Seminary turned luxury hotel, and hopefully create what could literally become a Detroit destination from multiple states around. “That’s our goal, to basically be Detroit’s destination resort. No one has what we do, sitting on almost 200 acres of land, there’s nothing like this in this market and at the level we are taking things,” said Paul C. Wegert, Managing Director, The Inn at St.

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Johns and CEO, Boutique Hotel Professionals. The former seminary was purchased in August by the Pulte Foundation, where the late William Pulte, founder of the PulteGroup, had done many improvements in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Detroit the past two decades. The property is well-known for grand Catholic weddings inside the spectacular chapel that’s been on site for decades. Current holes No. 1-2 and 4-10 are the area that will mainly be transformed into the Par 3 course and the Putting Course, pretty much wrapped around the driving range with additional expansion. The 18-hole championship course will mostly be south of and to the east of the large buildings that make up the luxury hotel, the spa, restaurants and wedding chapel. New expansion will include a 15,000-square foot ballroom, and a 5,000-square foot outdoor pavilion for weddings of multiple faiths, and charity golf outings expansion. Construction of the new golf courses should begin in April. The hope is to seed the course in September, and weather permitting, open for play middle of 2023. Every area will be new grass, with a modernized irrigation system. The plan is for 007 Bentgrass, which Hearn said is an

environmental icon in the turf-grass industry today. It requires low fertilization and water requirements. There will be new sand, retention pond expansions, and improved sight lines. There will be significant changes to the current golf courses layout but not necessarily removing a ton of trees to carve all new routing. For example, to create a signature par four 18th hole, they will combine the short par four 26th hole with the 27th short par 3 hole and make it a longer par 4. Continues on next page>>

REMAKING INN AT ST. JOHNS

If any existing greens are used in the rebuild, those green complexes will get rebuilt with all-new looks. Current par 3 No. 22 for example (pictured), the green will be enlarged and will have just one bunker which will be made bigger, with a new shape and location. Current fairways and hole lengths will see some changes that make those holes unrecognizable. The Carl’s Golfland on site will remain in operation for lessons, retail sales and the driving range during the entire course rebuild. The TrackMan-outfitted range there

pretty first class in everything. The way they do things there it’s clear they are pretty meticulous.” Wegert says someday hosting tournaments like Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) events is a future goal. “If you’re a golf enthusiast in the PlymouthCanton-Livonia area, compared to what they had, this new development is going to blow you away,” Hearn said. “This is a whole new level, and the angles we’re going to get on these holes that were never there, golfers will love.

is one of the busiest in the state.

“To get more juniors into the game, the Putting Course and the Par 3 course will be

“I think it’s great to wrap a championship 18hole golf course around this. It just elevates the whole facility,” said store owner Carl

something for everybody. Then the synergy with the build upgrades and all these new golfing amenities, I think it’s going to be very special.”

Rose, Jr. “And the family foundation is

MICHIGAN NEWS AND NOTES

Michigan Golf Course Assoc. Award Winners Named Tom Schacher, a former high school soccer coach in Otsego who works for the Lynx Golf Course, was the winner of the 2021 John Dodge CARPE DIEM Award, and Bill Mory, the PGA professional and owner of Meridian Sun Golf Club in Haslett received the Dul Family-Fox Hills Player Development Award at the recent Michigan Golf Course Association’s Golf Business Conference Award Winners Banquet. They were the final award winners announced by the MGCA for 2021 and they received their awards in the same program as the MGCA Golf Course of the Year, Sweetgrass Golf Club at Island Resort & Casino in Harris, 2021 Bruce Matthews Lifetime Achievement Award winner Joseph M. Vargas Jr., PhD, of Michigan State University, 2021 Lyle Leeke Distinguished Service Award winner Brenda Velandra of Raisin Valley Golf Club in Tecumseh, and Award of Merit recipient, The Midnight Golf Program of Detroit. Schacher was honored for being a team member of a MGCA member course who demonstrates creativity and success as defined by the legacy of the late John Dodge. Schacher received a grant award from the MGCA Scott Family Educational Support Foundation.

Mory was honored as the owner of a MGCA member course that demonstrates creativity and success in growing the game by developing new golfers and new rounds and overcoming perceived barriers. Meridian Sun also received a grant award from the Scott Family Educational Support Foundation to support junior, women’s and kid’s and beginner golf programming at the course.

Ally Challenge Announced Charitable Donations Tournament officials announced that The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren in 2021, raised $1,315,678 for charitable organizations in southeastern Michigan and beyond. The 2021 amount surpasses the $1 million dollar mark for the second time in the event’s brief history. Since its inception in 2018, The Ally Challenge has donated a total of more than $4.5 million to support of local charities in the greater Flint area and beyond. The total includes $440,000 for the tournament’s primary beneficiary, United Way of Genesee County (UWGC).

GOLF TIPS

This Year Make Golf Improvement a Team Endeavor By Joe Charles, PGA A common misconception that we see which inhibits players from improving at golf is that they have to do it alone. There’s a lot of YouTube tip watchers and solo range ball beating sessions going on in our sport these days!

cost of a private lesson series together. Most facilities have some type of spring intro to golf group clinic series which is another way that friends can go have a golf learning experience together.

Most of the time traditional golf lessons are also done in a private environment with an instructor and a student. Most other sports

At our academy we have created learning experiences that promote this learning style… our very popular Couples Golf School is a great way for spouses to improve

approach improvement from a group aspect. Whether it be having a workout partner at the gym, doubles tennis, yoga classes, cross fit, and the list goes on. Research shows that having a partner to improve with helps skill

together and also understand what the other person should REALLY be working on. Our Ladies Golf School is another neat experience where you and your golf “work out” partner can spend a few days in a fun group setting

acquisition and also makes it more fun!

working on your games.

At the BOYNE Golf Academy, we encourage our students to take on the challenge of improving at golf with a friend or, dare I say it, a spouse. This could be as simple as making a pledge with your golfing buddy to

Whether it be a destination golf school, or just scheduling time out of your schedule to devote to the game with someone else, approaching golf improvement with a partner will help to keep you accountable,

hit balls together at least once a week, joining a golf league together, or splitting the

stay on track, and most importantly have more fun!”

TOP GOLF INSTRUCTORS

Golf Digest Names Michigan’s Best Instructors

Golf Digest magazine recently put out its list of the top golf instructors in Michigan. In order they are:

1 Adam Schriber LochenHeath G.C., Williamsburg

Adam Schriber is recognized by peers and multiple golf media as one of the top 100 instructors across the globe, and a pioneer in the integration of fitness, biomechanical-influenced instruction, and digital technology tools. Students range from accomplished college players to touring pros (Anthony Kim and Brittany Lang to name two). For 10 years he was Director of Instruction-USA for the David Leadbetter Golf Academies, before family ties brought him home to Michigan to led programs at Crystal

Mt., Kingsley Club and now LochenHeath. He led instruction programs to new levels at Crystal Mountain Resort, the Kingsley Club, and LochenHeath Golf Club, where he continues today. Adam was Michigan PGA Instructor of the Year in 2018. He holds a degree from Ferris State in PGA Management.

2 Jason Guss Jason Guss Golf Academy at Hawk Hollow, East Lansing

Jason Guss teaches at both Hawk Hollow and Warwick Hills in Grand Blanc. He developed a great reputation of getting the most out of youth learning the game and then excelling their careers – yet he also has coached numerous professional golfers on all levels from the PGA Tour, Web.com Tour, and LPGA Tours. Also a Ferris State grad, Guss first taught at Treetops for many years Continues on next page>>

TOP GOLF INSTRUCTORS before a family obligation brought him to mid-Michigan. He also earned experience and perspective from being a caddie for Hale Irwin and the late Arnold Palmer. Guss has been a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher in the United States five times and has also been named the Michigan Teacher of the Year in 2013 and 2017.

3 Ian Hughes GolfTEC, Grand Rapids

Hughes is a certified PGA Member who is passionate about golf lessons and club fitting in Grand Rapids. He has provided over 37,000 lessons. Hughes stays active in Michigan PGA Section tournaments and has recorded multiple top 5 finishes.

4 Dave Kendall Kendall Golf Academy, Ypsilanti

Dave Kendall founded the Kendall Academy of Golf at Miles of Golf in Ypsilanti more than 25 years ago, growing from one Instructor to 8 outstanding Coaches and home to hundreds of success stories. Dave is also one of the founding members of the Golf Channel Academy network of Lead Coaches and first in Michigan. The Michigan PGA has previously honored Dave as the Teacher of the Year, Golf Professional of the Year, recipient of the Horton Smith Award, and Senior Player of the Year Award. Dave is a 2-time Michigan Senior Open Champion, Senior PGA Champion, and Senior PGA Match Play Champion. He has been inducted into the Jackson, Michigan, the Michigan PGA, and the Michigan Golf Halls of Fame. Dave has been listed on Golf Digest’s list of Top Teachers in Michigan since 2000.

Previous issues of Michigan Golf Journal are available on: www.migolfjournal.com

The insight he has gained through his years of Coaching players of all levels, along with his competitive

WWW.MIGOLFJOURNAL.COM background, has given him a practical approach to player improvement. He recently became a co-owner of Washtenaw Golf Club, but still teaches regularly.

Remainder of the Top 20 6 Adam Farabaugh, C.C. of Detroit 7 Gary Bissell, The Meadows, Allendale 8 Jordan Young, Jordan Young Golf at Fox Hills Learning Center, Plymouth 9 Mike Fay, Walnut Creek C.C., South Lyon

10 Charles Vandenberg, Thousand Oaks Golf Academy, Grand Rapids 11 Brandon Roby, Cascade Hills C.C.,

Brian Cairns

Grand Rapids

Fox Hills Learning Center, Plymouth

13 Will Ellender, Fox Hills Learning

12 Dave Vanloozen, Oakland Hills C.C., Bloomfield Township Center, Plymouth 14 Chris Mory, Jason Guss Golf Academy, East Lansing 15 Jack Seltzer, Seltzer Golf Academy,

Cairns is perhaps best known as being the golf teacher of U.S. Amateur champion James Piot, his student since early elementary school. But in professional circles he is also well known for playing ability. He has won three Michigan PGA titles, five Match Play titles and several team titles. Five times Cairns was named Player of the Year by the Section. Cairns has played in five National Senior PGAs and three U.S. Senior Opens, plus three PGA Championships, the latest at Whistling Straits in 2015, the year he was the PGA of America’s Senior Player of the Year, becoming the first Michigan player to be so honored. He is a Michigan Golf Hall of Fame member.

Grand Blanc 16 Chad Kurmel, Forest Akers, East Lansing 17 Tom Harding, Carl’s Golfland, Bloomfield Hills 18 Anne Gajda, Fox Hills Learning Center, Plymouth 19 Steve Brady, Oakland Hills C.C., Bloomfield Township 20 Paul Haase, Kendall Golf Academy, Ypsilanti

GOLF INDUSTRY NEWS

State of the Golf Industry By Jada Paisley

As the Michigan Golf Course Association, our members are owners and operators of golf courses throughout Michigan. As the “Voice of Michigan Golf Business”, the MGCA continues to elevate the business of golf. One of the many ways we do so is with our Michigan Golf Business Conference and Vendor Fair. The conference recently took place in late November/early December. It was great to be back in person, and you could feel the excitement and energy from all who attended. Our conference education sessions ranged from cyber security, government affairs, embracing all golfers, food and beverage supply chain disruption, and labor recruitment. One of the most important issues I heard was around labor recruitment, which has been especially hard for our golf courses in agronomy and food and beverage. Although we recognize the golf industry is not alone on labor concerns, one of our panel conversations featured the Michigan Golf Alliance and the National Golf Course Owners Association on this very important topic and how each of our associations is responding. Career fairs, job boards, partnering and fostering strategic alliances were discussed; highlighting the business of golf to existing MSU School of Hospitality Business students

that are looking for internships and elevating the golf business in a different lens. As any small business owner will tell you having an entrepreneurial mindset is a necessity, and flexibility is key. Cross training in all areas would benefit employers and employees. Mentoring employees that are identified as having an interest in the agronomic areas of the golf business, and education through the MSU Turfgrass School, or on-line training through the GCSAA is important, as well as the use of technology and tools that are being used and developed to help streamline efficiencies. It’s no secret that success starts by working together and sharing ideas so that we can all be successful in this ever-changing landscape. That’s the theme that I heard loud and clear throughout the 2021 MI Golf Business Conference.