MI Golf Journal Dec. 20

DECEMBER 2020

SOUTHERN COMFORT

On Hilton Head Island

CRAZY Covid-19 Year in Review Bill Hobson Guest Column

Pinehurst: Special Pricing Road trip: BANDON DUNES

College Golf Recruits

Freeways and Fairways: Calderone

Plus Miss Golf

Players of the Year

Michigan Golf Journal Freeways and Fairways

Freeways and Fairways: Calderone Golf Club One of Jackson County’s Favorites

By Tom Lang This review is part of an occasional series that looks at golf courses found along Michigan freeways – those you drive by frequently, or on that annual vacation, but never seem to have time to stop and explore.

This one you certainly should.

For many years I’ve been intrigued by the look of Calderone Golf Club’s first hole meandering downhill toward westbound I-94 between Ann Arbor and Jackson. Now, I’m very disappointed in myself for not stopping prior to a warm fall weekday in November 2020, where the course paired me with two young men; Nate and Mitch.

What a treat.

No less than five holes on the front nine’s links layout have portions significantly visible to passers-by, yet Calderone is nothing like you’d expect of a course built on local farmland. There are no major elevation drop-offs like Up North, but there’s more than enough severely-rolling terrain, slippery side-hill holes and multi-tiered greens to entertain any golfer with a unique half day on the course – a track that lacks a single flat hole.

December 2020 www.michigangolfjournal.com

Former U-M golf coach Bill Newcomb designed a gem – and as much as I tire of the phrase ‘hidden-gem’, Calderone could qualify as one except for the reality it’s in plain sight to thousands of freeway drivers daily. There is nothing hidden about it, with the exception of the back nine since it runs over the hills and vales of the property that is well away from I-94 and much more tree-lined.

And the back is where my favorite 3-hole stretch is located.

No. 14 is a dogleg right par 4 that’s protected on the elbow by a couple “crater-shaped” catcher’s mitts – along the way to a green guarded by a sand trap in front.

No. 15 is a par 3 that goes slightly downhill to an attractive green complex of traps and greenside run offs.

No. 16, my signature hole, is a par 4 that heads straight, then turns sharply to the right and downhill to a slightly-perched green built against the hill that backs up the 5th green. Two huge,

3

mature trees block the right elbow yet still keenly tempt many long hitters to try going over them to the green found at 281 yards from the white tee box.

Next time anyone travels west from the Detroit-Ann Arbor area, they need to arrive 4 hours late. And with its great rates your wallet will not be much lighter.

More information: https:// www.calderonegolfclub. com/ MGJ

What’s Inside: 04

Michigan Man to Lead PGA of America

25

Players of the Year

08

Cover Story: Southern Comfort at Hilton Head

28

Miles of Golf Adds TopTracer Range

14

A CRAZY Look at a Covid Year

30

College Corner

17

High School Golf News

34

Go West: Bandon Dunes

Michigan Golf Journal Michigan Man

The Future of the PGA of America Rests on the Shoulders of a Michigan Man

Grand Ledge resident John Lindert elevated to PGA Vice President

By Tom Lang

A Michigan man holds more influence on the future of the PGA of America the next four years than most local golfers would realize.

John Lindert, Director of Golf and COO of the Country Club of Lansing, was recently named Vice President

of the PGA of America for the next two years. If the organization follows tradition, Lindert will move up to President after that and serve a two-year lead role in 2023-24.

Such responsibilities during that time frame will include:

• Rules Observer at The Masters each year.

• A seat on the Ryder Cup Selection Committee the next 4 years.

• Announcing the eventual Ryder Cup Captain for Bethpage Black in 2025 • Handing out the trophies for Ryder Cup,

December 2020 www.michigangolfjournal.com

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PGA Championship, KPMG Women’s Championship and Sr. PGA Championship.

• Leadership decision roles in what the PGA offers its 29,000 members and associates nationwide, any golf programs sponsored by the PGA, including PGA Jr. League, PGA HOPE and so much more.

Lindert said the system sets up so that the election for Secretary of the PGA of America is the most contested election, with the membership voting for the winner to serve two years – then typically the Secretary is elevated to VP for 2 years then President for 2 more… and then serves an additional two years as honorary president.

He began at the local Chapter level several years ago, then eventually became the Michigan PGA Section president. That translated into District 5 Director (multiple states; 2016-18), which put him on the PGA of America’s Board, before he ran for national office.

“Never in my wildest dreams was this a plan or process, it just naturally and organically progressed,” Lindert said.

Lindert is pleased with some particular accomplishments by the PGA of America in just the two years he’s been Secretary. The most recent being on-the-fly changes forged by Covid-19.

“In my opinion, that really highlighted what we were able to really do and accomplish,” he said.

“How quickly we were able to adapt to the changing environment, because

the PGA had always been described to me as a large ship that turned very slowly, and we were forced to make some drastic changes very quickly.”

He cited the PGA’s role in helping create the ‘Back to Golf’ plan for people and businesses to re-enter the sport in a responsible manner after Covid-19 shutdowns.

Maybe his most proud efforts went into the ‘Golf Emergency Relief Fund.’

Lindert described it as a national fund for all people within the golf industry, not just PGA members.

He said it has financially helped workers at the LPGA and PGA Tours, Korn Ferry Tour – plus Golf Course

Continues on next page >>

Michigan Golf Journal Michigan Man

superintendents greatly impacted by job losses or temporary unemployment in the spring-summer months. He said the PGA led by contributing money from its savings, from Board members and officers, and collecting donations within the industry and from the public.

Double Down on Bucket-List Golf

Lindert indicated that the PGA of America contributed at least $7.5 million to the relief fund and has given out almost $8 million total.

He, like many others in golf, is also gratified by the surge in the sport since Covid-19 hit and people flocked back to the game as a safe, outdoor activity. Just at Country Club of Lansing, rounds went up 50 percent in 2020.

“I saw families out playing more, we saw new players take up the game to enjoy an outdoor space and do it responsibly with friends and family – that safe haven,” Lindert said. “I think PGA professionals across the nation were able to run their facilities in that responsible manner. So, providing that was huge.”

Lindert added that he hopes golf becomes as diverse and inclusive as possible, “and try to mirror what the world looks like, and have golf that’s more affordable and accessible for all people, and kind of banish what people think of golf as an elitist opportunity, because it really isn’t.” He cited examples like the majority of beginners signing up for the PGA Jr. League are young girls. MGJ

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MichiganHead Golf Journal Hilton Island

SOUTHERN COMFORT Many northern avid golfers regard Hilton Head Island as the ideal destination for a spring getaway.

By Brad King

Golfers residing above the Mason-Dixon Line know the feeling.

Hilton Head Island — a crown jewel of South Carolina.

It’s an itch that typically strikes around December or January. A cabin fever that makes golf nuts eagerly map out their annual spring trip, with a yearning anticipation of warmer days ahead.

Snuggled on the east coast between the iconic destinations of Savannah, Ga., and Charleston, S.C., Hilton Head is the largest barrier island off the Atlantic coast, covering 42 square miles — 12 miles long and 5 miles wide at its widest point.

Many of the more discerning golfers have discovered

The first eco-planned vacation destination in the United States, Hilton Head regularly generates impressive headlines and accolades. Travel + Leisure magazine has ranked Hilton Head as the “No. 1 Island in the Continental United States.” Meanwhile, Condé Nast Traveler has proclaimed Hilton Head its top choice in the Readers’ Choice “Best Islands in the U.S.”

December 2020 www.michigangolfjournal.com

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The Sea Pines Resort photo

by Rob Tipton

“These awards are annual occurrences for Hilton Head and they certainly validate what we see every day,” said Cary Corbitt, longtime Vice President of Sports and Operations at The Sea Pines Resort. “Hilton Head is simply one of the most appealing getaways anywhere, particularly for families. There is truly something for everyone here, the weather is ideal

and the island’s beauty is unforgettable.”

Golf is a year-round proposition on The Golf Island. While locals may consider the spring and fall to be the most delightful seasons to take to the tees, value can be found both in the winter and summer months, as well. The Hilton Head-Bluffton area is home to 26 top-shelf golf courses,

world-class beaches and an unparalleled variety of vacation accommodations, Lowcountry dining choices and off-the-course amenities and activities.

With limitless things to do and a delightfully perennial climate beckoning to be savored throughout the seasons, Hilton Head is a natural magnet for a spectrum of sports, Continues on next page >>

MichiganHead Golf Journal Hilton Island

recreation and outdoor leisure. More than a million rounds of golf are played on Hilton Head annually — more golf per capita than any place in the country. While some of its top courses are private, Hilton Head has earned its reputation as one of the world’s finest golf destinations.

The breathtaking natural beauty of the area attracted some of the game’s most legendary architects — names such as Robert

Bear Creek 18th Hole

Trent Jones, Davis Love III, Rees Jones, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus, George Fazio, just to name a few. Hilton Head Island is also home to the RBC Heritage, an area tradition at Harbour Town Golf Links at The Sea Pines Resort, where the world’s best golfers try to tame one of the most challenging stops on the PGA Tour.

Hilton Head is shaped like a boot. Sea Pines Resort, home of Harbour Town Golf Links and two other

storied layouts, is located at the “toe,” or the south end of the island. The late Pete Dye’s masterpiece at Harbour Town remains a lasting monument to southern coastal golf and a bucket-list golf course for any aficionado. Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III is a complete reconstruction of Sea Pines Resort’s historic Ocean Course performed by the popular five-time Heritage champion. Not to be outdone, Sea Pines Resort’s original Sea Marsh Golf Course received

December 2020 www.michigangolfjournal.com

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a multimillion-dollar transformation in 2007 and is now called Heron Point by Pete Dye. Just a smooth 9-iron from Sea Pines on Hilton Head’s south end is Shipyard Plantation, which offers 27 holes designed by Cobb and Byrd that can be played in a trio of 18-hole combinations. Each 9-holer — called Clipper, Galleon and Brigantine — possesses its own merits, but there is one constant: water comes into play on nearly every hole. Nevertheless, all 27 holes at Shipyard are imminently and enjoyably playable.

Located at the Hilton Head “heel” — meaning midisland and north end — are Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, with its Robert Trent Jones, George Fazio and Arthur Hills courses, and Port Royal Resort, with 54 holes designed by Pete Dye, George Cobb and Willard Byrd. Each layout is unique in its own right and a considered a must play on any Lowcountry bucket list.

Bounded by three miles of Atlantic Ocean beach on one side and a sheltered Intracoastal Waterway marina on the other,

Golden Bear Golf Club

Palmetto Dunes serves up a storied history of unparalleled golf experiences for guests from all corners of the globe.

The trio of golf courses at Palmetto Dunes has each been honored with South Carolina’s “Golf Course of the Year” award in the past 15 years.

On Hilton Head Island’s northwestern point is Port Royal Resort — home to the original landing site of

William Hilton, the explorer for whom the island is named. Similar to Sea Pines and Palmetto Dunes, Port Royal is also renowned for its world-class tennis center and other outstanding amenities, including the luxurious Westin Hilton Head Resort & Spa. Hilton Head Island boasts plenty of culture and nightlife, and fancies itself more sophisticated and upscale than its neighbor Continues on next page >>

MichiganHead Golf Journal Hilton Island

four hours to the north, Myrtle Beach. Following a round or two of golf, locals and visitors often visit the numerous bars and restaurants on the south end, although Hilton Head Island’s north end has emerged as a nighttime hotspot of its own.

Before hitting one of the eclectic selection of outstanding restaurants on the north end of the island, golfers enjoy challenging one of the two courses by Nicklaus and his son, Jack II at Indigo Run Plantation.

Winding through forests of pine and oak, and along freshwater lowlands, the Golden Bear Golf Club, which debuted in 1992, will not soon be forgotten.

Oyster Reef Golf Club

Hilton Head Plantation is the island’s secondoldest private gated community, occupying nearly 4,000 acres. Hilton Head Plantation offers a wide variety of golf, with a quartet of gorgeous layouts: Oyster Reef Golf Club, Country Club of Hilton Head and Bear Creek Golf Club — all designed by Rees Jones — along with Dolphin Head, designed by Gary Player and Ron Kirby.

Finally, while Hilton Head has always been a convenient drive destination for many from the north, now, getting to the island is easier than ever.

Most of the major airlines offer flights to either the uber-convenient Hilton Head Island Airport (HHH) or

into Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV), which is fewer than 45 minutes off island.

For prospective visitors to Hilton Head, a variety of custom golf and resort packages for small and large groups are worth investigating. The “Golf Island” has made planning your golf vacation very easy through its website — HiltonHeadGolfIsland. com. When planning your trip, marvel at Hilton Head’s golf courses, browse custom resort packages and attractive rates, and see all that Hilton Head Island has to offer away from the links.

Planning your dream golf trip is just a click away. MGJ

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Michigan Golfin Journal Covid Year Review

C.R.A.Z.Y. Covid-19 Year in Review Guest Column, by Bill Hobson Michigan Golf Live and FORE Golfers Network

The “year unlike any other” is coming to a close – and while we all hope and pray for much healthier days ahead, 2020 has delivered some powerful, important, impressive lessons for the world of golf.

Even as I write these thoughts on a chilly late November day, there are countless PGA Professionals and Superintendents who are now – finally – preparing to hibernate after a season

that defied dire predictions and temporary shutdowns and, instead, rocketed to record levels of play and profitability.

Reflecting back, I’m reminded of these five lessons golf taught us all during the year of Covid: Golf is Creative – Don’t even try to pretend you saw things like pool noodles and wire ball-lifting contraptions becoming a

standard part of your golf experience. These concepts were born out of necessity and a desire to protect you as much as possible.

There were plastic cart dividers quickly invented and installed in order to meet rapidly shifting compliance guidelines and the golf community deserves immense credit for a remarkable level of creativity that allowed courses to re-open and thrive.

December 2020 www.michigangolfjournal.com

Golf is R esilient – Let’s hop in the time machine and journey all the way back to the bleak days of March. Shutdowns were happening in every sector of life, including golf. The entire industry – and at $4 billion per year in Michigan, golf IS an important industry – was reeling from the prospects of possibly being put in mothballs.

Now, fast forward to December. There are masked smiles on the faces of exhausted course owners, operators, PGA Professionals, and superduper Supers following a year where tee times were frequently impossible to secure, equipment sales shattered records, and the demand for instruction kept many teaching tees occupied from sunrise to dusk. The hunger for our safe, socially distant sport reached levels only dreamed about until a pandemic came along and reminded everyone that there is no better place to be than on the course.

Golf is A daptable – When the PGA Tour announced there would be no fans at the Rocket Mortgage Classic they worked hard to overcome that loss of ticket revenue and were

15

Bill Hobson

still able to deliver over $2 million for charity while still somehow finding the resources to feed the daily caloric requirements of the 2020 Champion, Bryson DeChambeau.

On the amateur level, the Golf Association of Michigan continued its tradition of hosting a full calendar of tournaments for players of every skill level. They not only pulled it off but did so with excellence. On the wider spectrum of public

golf, the challenges were magnified. From spacing out tee times to creating more outdoor dining space to running tournaments in new and improved ways, there is a huge tip of the cap in order for the obvious (and behind the scenes) adaptability shown across the board.

Large gatherings, double shotgun charity outings, member/guest weekends – every aspect of the golf experience had to be examined and reshaped, revised, and rescheduled.

Continues on next page >>

Michigan Golfin Journal Covid Year Review

behind a minimum of 3 clubs per round, losing his range finder twice a summer.

This awesome game has a level of insanity infused into it. Nothing, not even a virus, will ever change that.

Golf grew Younger – For those still searching for a silver lining in 2020, turn your eyes directly to the growth of Youth On Course – the tremendous program allowing kids to play for as little as $5 per round. In our state, the GAM helms the programs and participation has been off the charts. Not only are these kids our future teachers, engineers, first responders, pastors, and parents...they’re also the literal future of golf. Seeing so many kids getting out to play with mom and/or dad might be the biggest positive of all for 2020. MGJ

Somehow, it happened, and it worked in ways that some concepts will continue into the future.

Golf is Zany – In a year when the desire for normalcy often delivered the exact opposite, we can take comfort in knowing that golf continued the time-honored tradition of often making no sense. Your buddy continued to get eye-popping, head-shaking bounces from the deep forest to within 5 feet of the hole. Your perfect range session once again delivered your highest score in years. Your best friend still manages to leave

Miss Golf:

Miss Golf

Shannon Kennedy of Birmingham Marian

By Tom Lang

Shannon Kennedy, a senior at Birmingham Marian, has been crowned the 2020 Miss Golf. Less than a week after getting the award in early November, she signed with Michigan State University for the 2021 season – and then went on to win a GolfWeek Junior Tour event in TN on Nov. 21-22 as the only player under par (70-71-141, 3-under).

The top award in high school golf is voted by members of the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association each year.

Kennedy said she set her pre-season goal of a belowpar scoring average, a number she shattered at 69.75 after averaging almost 74 last school year.

“But to be holding this (Miss Golf) trophy is the most incredible feeling in the world,” Kennedy added. “It makes it more real that I feel my dreams are coming true.”

Kennedy was inspired by watching Annika Dy of Traverse City, who now plays college golf at Michigan, win Miss Golf during Kennedy’s freshman year – the same year Kennedy won the first of her three individual state championships.

“I was like, ‘wow, I want that to be me one day’ and that kind of drove me from then on.”

Kennedy won the Div. 2 title that day in 2017, then added titles this year and last year in Div. 3.

Continues on next page >>

Girls All-State Marian also won the team championship the last two seasons.

“I would say the state title this year (was my favorite of the three), because I won in such dramatic fashion, and being my senior year,” Kennedy said. “But junior year was also great because my team won the title both years too, and that’s what all the fun is about, having these guys with me.”

Double Down on Bucket-List Golf

Kennedy won her third individual state title by draining a 20-plus-foot putt on the 18th green to finish with 70 at Forest Akers East at MSU. Ryann Breslin of Grand Rapids Christian matched the 70, but Kennedy won in a playoff. Freshman Lauren Timpf of Macomb Lutheran North was third at 71.

“She’s always been a long hitter, and the short game is something that people often forget,” Kennedy’s co-coach David Sass said about the huge scoring drop in one year. “But she dedicated herself to it, certainly her wedge game, and she’s taken her putting to the next level. She’s a wonderful kid and she’s getting everything she deserves.” MGJ

Girls All-State Super team: (in alphabetical order)

• Jr. Bridget Boczar, Plymouth • So. Kate Brody, Grand Blanc • Sr. Ariel Chang, Utica Eisenhower • Jr. Allison Cui, Okemos • Sr. Anci Dy, Traverse City West • Sr. Lilia Henkel, Forest Hills Northern • Sr. Shannon Kennedy, Marian • Sr. Katie Potter, South Lyon

Play 18. Repeat. Now’s the time to play two award-winning courses to their fullest.

Our Pete Dye and Donald Ross Courses have been #1 and #2 on GolfWeek’s “Best You Can Play” in Indiana for 10 years running. Book your round in 2020, and replays are free the same day at The Pete Dye Course (forecaddie fee additional) while same-day Donald Ross replays are $50.

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Player Profile

Up and Comer: 14-Year-Old Lauren Timpf

By Tom Lang

Girls’ high school golf across Michigan has witnessed an aggressive youth movement, more in the last three years than any time in the 30 years I have covered prep sports. Freshmen, sophomores, and a few juniors have populated the top portions of leaderboards at the state finals – and one of the newest editions is freshman Lauren Timpf of Macomb Lutheran North High School.

She took third place in Div. 3 with a 71 at Forest Akers East at MSU, one stroke behind two seniors: eventual champion Shannon Kennedy who won in a playoff over Ryann Breslin of Grand Rapids Christian.

It was Kennedy’s third state title, including one her freshman season.

Perhaps more impressive was the then-13-yearold Timpf’s 2020 summer schedule, playing amateur events under the GAM umbrella.

Timpf had five consecutive wins in the 15-and-under age category, including the 2019 season-closing GAM Invitational, then the 2020 GAM Junior Kickoff, Michigan Junior Girls State Amateur, and the GAM 14-and-under Match Play; topped off with the Junior Stroke Play. Timpf also reached the quarterfinals of the Michigan Women’s Amateur Championship and pushed eventual champion Anna Kramer, a senior college golfer and GAM’s Women Player of the Year, to the final hole in match play to narrowly miss the Final Four.

Timpf’s swing utilizes a forward press in her hips that is less than obvious, but similar to, PGA Tour winner Matthew Wolfe.

“My coach has worked with me on that (since age 10) because our theory is the back swing starts with the forward motion. I really try to engage my lower body because those are the bigger muscles. And when I do my little ‘kick in’ we like to call it, I can really activate my hips.

“I was doing this before I really heard of Matthew Wolfe and saw him swing.” MGJ

Michigan Golf Journal Reynolds Lake Oconee

Reynolds Lake Oconee is Tournament Ready Every Day

By Tom Lang and Fred Altvater

When the LPGA Tour had to cancel three Asian Swing events scheduled for October due to Covid-19, Reynolds Lake Oconee saw the need for more women’s events and began to ask, ‘what if?’

Reynolds Lake Oconee is the home of six challenging and beautiful golf courses, and a superb practice facility in the form of the TaylorMade Kingdom of Golf.

LPGA Tour Commissioner, Michael Whan has a home in the resort as well and spends as much time as he can there. So, with that much ‘local knowledge’ and the fact the resort’s grounds crew has the courses tournament ready all year, a new pop-up event was on – the Drive ON Championship at Reynolds Lake Oconee.

The newly renovated Great Waters course became the nearly overnight host site for the October 22-25 championship, won by one

of the LPGA Tour’s mostliked players and first-time winner, Ally McDonald.

“Fortunately, even though we didn’t have the lead time normally associated with an event of this caliber, our courses are maintained in tournament condition year-round,” said golf course Superintendent Brandon Hayes, who more than doubled the typical daily maintenance team of

20 to 50 prepping for the week.

Great Waters opened for play in 1992 and is one of the most recognizable courses at Reynolds Lake Oconee. After an extensive renovation by the original designer, Jack Nicklaus, it re-opened in October 2019.

Nicklaus said of the course after the renovation: “I think the Great Waters

December 2020 www.michigangolfjournal.com

21

Ally McDonald.

course is visually and strategically spectacular. It’s a special piece of property.

In fact, spectacular is a good word for the golf course.”

Great Waters was the site of the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf (now the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship) on the PGA Tour from 1995-97.

Great Waters hosted the first-ever Golf Channel Big Break Invitational, a 72hole tournament in 2014 featuring a select field of 40 past Big Break participants.

Additionally, Great Waters continues to host the Linger Longer Invitational, a terrific annual collegiate event.

Michigander Liz Nagel shot her career best on the LPGA Tour with a 7-under one

round, leading to her best finish this season, a T20.

feeling a little bit of being up north.”

“When our Commissioner booked the tournament he said, ‘just trust me, it’s in a unique spot, not where we’d normally go for a tournament, but I promise you’ll love it.’ And I didn’t hear a single pro golfer say anything except how much they loved it,” Nagel said.

“Great Waters got such rave reviews, we all want to go back.

Located directly between Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia, Reynolds Lake Oconee not only offers fantastic golf, but residents can fish, ski and swim in the massive lake, as well as enjoy every other outdoor activity. Reynolds Lake Oconee has quickly become not only a vacation destination, but a vibrant residential community with its own schools, several fine restaurants, and a full social calendar.

“Everyone there were all just so happy and welcoming. You can tell they are happy to be there and so grateful to be at such an awesome place with such great facilities.

For me it felt a little bit like Michigan because of all the water and the boats – the

Hear more from Nicklaus about the renovation on this episode from Back 9 Report TV: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=bjV8fXVNe1M MGJ

Michigan Golf Journal 3rd Oldest Club in Michigan

Historic Washtenaw Golf Club Calls on Award-Winning Architect Ray Hearn for Master Plan

By Greg Johnson

Raymond Hearn Golf Course Designs of Holland, Mich., has completed a long-range Master Plan and is moving ahead on renovation and restoration at Washtenaw Golf Club, one of the oldest courses in Michigan with roots to 1899.

It’s the second time the duo of Hearn and Dave Kendall, operating partner of the now-public Washtenaw

property, and Michigan Golf Hall of Fame inductee (2015), has corroborated on a renovation.

In the late 1990s, Hearn was well-established as a golf course architect who needed some renovation of his own – the golf swing.

“He had a reputation as one of the best teachers in Michigan so I booked a

lesson,” Hearn said about Kendall, who had set up shop with the Kendall Golf Academy at Miles of Golf in nearby Ypsilanti Twsp. and went on to win many teaching awards and tournaments, including two Michigan Senior Opens.

“That led to more lessons because he helped my golf game greatly and we became friends. I think at the root of our friendship

December 2020 www.michigangolfjournal.com

23

we share a great passion for the game.”

Kendall describes the working agreement with Hearn as a gradual renovation project that will involve some restoration and some remodeling of a classic course that started out as a 3-hole course in 1899, was expanded to 6 holes and then 9 holes in the early 1900s and finally to the current 18 holes in 1922.

Hearn also found in his research of the course a 1937 aerial photo of Washtenaw that he is using to help restore some of the original design concepts.

“I’ve always judged courses by whether or not I looked forward to playing it again and it turned out those were always highly regarded places,” Kendall said. “When I talked to Ray after we took over at Washtenaw one of the first things he said was Washtenaw is one of the most underrated courses in the state.

“We go around the course and I find I’m in agreement with what he is saying and proposing, and he’s not offended if I have a different idea. He wants the same thing I want – to make a

great place to golf even better and bring back some of the things that made it great in the first place… he wants to make it playable, restore lost historical features and make the course enjoyable for all golfers.”

Hearn, who has done some initial work at Washtenaw when it used to be private, said finding the 1937 aerial photograph was a great help in guiding the new Master Plan.

“This will be a combination of restoration and renovation course improvements that make sense in terms of improved strategy, shot value and playability,” he said. “Restoring old edges to certain historic greens, removing a few trees, repositioning certain bunkers, renovating certain

tees, and tweaking fairway limit lines will all add to increased strategy, shot value and playability. My goal is to achieve more angles and play options for all golfers.

“Restoring some of the original course features lost over time has been a true treasure hunt utilizing old aerials, photos and sketches along with a handy soil probe,” Hearn said of his initial work at Washtenaw. MGJ

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Players of the Year

GAM PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

By Greg Johnson

Woman’s Player of the Year: Anna Kramer Anna Kramer of Spring Lake put in the work to be a better golfer and decided to enjoy the game more in 2020.

“I focused on trying to have fun and not be so uptight if I hit a bad shot or had a bad hole,” she said. “I really tried to enjoy that I was getting to play, that I could have fun out there. I found when I stay positive it is a lot easier to play well.”

Kramer, a University of Indianapolis golfer, especially enjoyed her play in winning the 2020 Michigan Women’s Amateur Championship MSU, where she won stroke play medalist honors and worked through match play topping 2018 champion Kerri Parks of Flushing and Marshall University 5 and 4 in the finale.

Kramer, a member at Spring Lake Country Club who is using a final year of eligibility at Indianapolis granted by the NCAA due to the pandemic, totaled 460 points for the summer. Yurika Tanida of East Lansing, the

2019 GAM Player of the Year, was second with 435 points. Tanida, a native of Japan, is an MSU golfer.

Kramer will have her business administration and management degree and start in a graduate business program while playing a final season of college golf this spring. She said professional golf has never been part of her plan, but she might consider trying it briefly before launching a business career.

“I’ve started thinking it would be cool if things work out to try it, though I know it would take a ton of work and travel and time away,” she said. “I’m not sure how that would work for me and I’m still not sure I’m going to try it. I’m going to finish school and keep my options open.”

Players of the Year

Men’s Player of the Year: James Piot James Piot of Canton finished atop the Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) Honor Roll and has been named the 2020 GAM Men’s Player of the Year. Piot, an MSU golfer who was second in Honor Roll points a year ago, keyed his season with the runner-up finish to Tyler Copp of Ann Arbor and Mercer University (Ga.) in the Michigan Amateur, and his showing in the U.S. Amateur at Oregon’s Bandon Dunes where he made a run at medalist honors and reached the round of 32 in match play.

“But I didn’t finish,” the redshirt junior golfer for Michigan State University said.

“Next summer I want to get my name on some trophies.”

He finished with 975 Honor Roll points ahead of Copp, who plays out of Barton Hills Country Club and had 605 points. It was Copp who beat Piot 2 and 1 in the championship match of the Michigan Amateur at Boyne Highlands.

Piot, who plays out of Fox Hills Golf & Learning Center, called winning Player of the Year a big accomplishment. “I was runner-up and I was Junior Player of the

Year, but this is a first and I’m grateful,” he said. “I hope to keep it going and try to win it again.”

Piot also finished third in the GAM Championship, just missed the prestigious final 16 at the Western Amateur and had noteworthy performances in several other national and regional tournaments. Piot plans to opt for a fifth and final year of eligibility at MSU granted by the NCAA due to the coronavirus pandemic. He has professional plans in the future.

“Overall, I had a good summer,” he said.

“I didn’t have any bad tournaments, but I didn’t have any super tournaments either.

The Michigan Amateur was a heartbreaker because I was playing so well through that week. I had a stretch where I was 11-under in 21 or 22 holes over two matches. That’s when I realized I can get my game to another level.” MGJ

SR Players of the Year

GAM SR. PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

By Greg Johnson

Senior Player of the Year: Steve Maddalena Jackson’s Steve Maddalena has taken his game to the national stage in recent years, but still manages to star at home at age 60, too.

“Honestly, I’m playing better now than I have in a long time,” the Country Club of Jackson member said. “I’m more comfortable with my game and playing against national players has helped.

“It was one of my goals this year – to try and repeat as Senior Player of the Year – and I was fortunate to do that,” said Maddalena, who was elected to the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame in 2007.

“The competition is great, and it doesn’t get easier. Every year a new group of guys turn 55 and make it even more competitive.”

His 393 GAM Player of the Year points were built primarily by winning the Michigan Senior Open in a sudden-death playoff with fellow Hall of Fame member and professional Jeff Roth of Boyne Golf Academy.

Rick Herpich, age 68 of Orchard Lake, earned Super Senior Player of the Year. A highlight win came in the GAM Super Senior Championship where he shot 66, bettering his age of then 67.

Sr. Women’s Player of the Year: Julie Massa Julie Massa of Holt, 57, is the GAM’s Senior Women’s Player of the Year. It is an unprecedented 6th consecutive year that the Forest Akers Golf Course member has been named for the award.

“I feel so honored to be Player of the Year in a year where we were also so happy just to be able to play,” she said. “I think it happens because I just enjoy the game and the competition.

I enjoy trying to make myself better, learn more each year and in the end just have fun at it.”

Massa wasn’t able to play her usual national schedule because several USGA tournaments were cancelled, but she still earned 368 points playing in GAM tournaments. Powering her point total was her win in the GAM Senior Women’s Championship, and a second in the GAM Senior Tournament of Champions. MGJ

Michigan Golf Journal Toptracer Range

Toptracer Range Now Live at Miles of Golf some great courses; like Pebble Beach.

The cost of using Toptracer Range is built into the cost of the range balls; no additional cost. Miles installed the technology at their Fairfield, Ohio facility in October and it has proven to be a tremendous success. Work is now complete in Ypsilanti and Toptracer Range is available to all range customers.

Toptracer Range delivers the same ball-tracking technology that follows the shots and flight path of the game’s best players on TV screens during PGA and LPGA Tour events. That technology is now available at Miles of Golf in Ypsilanti at its new Toptracer Range.

The system tracks every shot hit anywhere on the Miles of Golf range, providing all kinds of information about each shot you hit, making the range experience incredibly informative and more fun. Now all golfers young and old, those good and those notso-good-but-trying-to-improve – get great feedback during practice sessions in a fun, engaging and tech-driven experience. There are also game features to play alone or with friends, and you can play Virtual (Sim) Golf on

The Golf Range Association of America has ranked the Miles of Golf practice facility as one of the top 100 in the country every year since 1996. It is a state-of-the-art golf practice facility available 365 days a year. The Cluboratory, their club testing and fitting center is also one of the 100 best in the country along with their nationally recognized Golf Shop.

The facility has been a fixture in the Ann Arbor golf community since the 1950s and was formerly known as Pat’s Par 3. In 1995, the range and par 3 course were converted into one huge practice facility with over 100 hitting tees featuring newly constructed grass tees, target greens, irrigation system, chipping greens, bunkers, putting greens, and tees that are both heated and sheltered. MGJ

Michigan Corner Golf Journal College

MSU Men Sign Two New Players

Other coaching changes at GVSU and WMU Ashton McCulloch | Kingston, Ontario

Satchel Pierce | Edwardsburg, Mich.

Coach Casey Lubahn comments:

Coach Casey Lubahn comments:

“Ashton has been the top player in Ontario in his class for a number of years and he continues to improve significantly. He is a quiet, determined young man who lets his clubs do the talking but he is a fierce competitor evidenced by his elite finishes. From the moment we had his family on campus, Coach Ellis and I felt like they were exactly what we look for - people of great character, values, and humility.”

“Satchel has been the top player in 2021 class in Michigan for a number of years due to his maturity and consistency. He has been battling an injury over the past year and like any great athlete, he has used it as an opportunity to get better with his mechanics and preparation. He is a self-starter who loves to learn – two vital traits in college golf.”

McCulloch posted eight wins and three runnerup finishes in his last 15 junior tournaments. He won the 2019 Provincial Ontario Junior (U19) Boys Championship and captured the Golf Canada Future Links Fall Series that year. He then took 4th place in the Provincial Ontario Men’s Amateur championship in 2020.

Pierce placed 5th at the 2019 Michigan Boys Junior PGA Championship at 1-under-par 143. Prior to his injury, was ranked the No. 1 boys golfer in Michigan in the class of 2021 by Junior Golf Scoreboard. He earned first-team Division 2 All-State honors as a sophomore in 2019.

In 2015, competed at Augusta National in the Drive, Chip, Putt and Drive competition, ages 10-11.

Tom Werkmeitser Joins Grand Valley Staff

Tom Werkmeister, widely regarded as one of the top amateur golfers in the state, joins GVSU as an assistant coach. He earned GAM Player of the Decade (2010-2019) and was a five-time GAM Player of the Year. He won two Michigan Amateurs (2009, 2017) and won the Michigan Open in 2013. He is a 10time West Michigan Amateur champion who turned pro in late 2017 and made a handful of PGA Tour Champions’ starts, including U.S. Senior Opens in 2018 and ‘19.

Western Michigan Names New Head Coach

Kim Moore becomes the fourth head coach in the WMU women’s program history, after coaching seven years at Saint Mary’s College (Notre Dame, Ind.). Saint Mary’s won three Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Assoc. championships in 2017-19 – and broke the school and league scoring record in 2018.

December 2020 www.michigangolfjournal.com

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U-M Signs 3 Players To Early National Letters of Intent University of Michigan men’s golf coach Zach Barlow announced the signings of Hunter Thomson (Calgary, Alberta), Bavake Sihota (Caledon, Ontario) and Yuqi Liu (Beijing, China) – to National Letters of Intent for fall 2021.

A native of Calgary, Alberta, Thomson -- who is ranked as the No. 1 junior in Canada and No. 9 overall for the Class of 2021 on the Junior Golf Scoreboard -- has shined throughout his junior amateur career in Canada. Finishing among the top-3 in four of his five 2020 events, he posted individual wins at the Alberta Junior Boys Championship (66-6669/201) and at the Maple Leaf Junior Golf Tour (MJT) Ford Series PGA of Alberta Junior Championship (7467-65/206).

“Hunter has established himself as one of the top players in junior golf, and his record speaks

for itself,” Barlow said.

“What’s even more exciting is his drive to compete and win at the collegiate level.”

A native of Caledon, Ontario, Sihota played his junior golf on the Canadian Junior Golf Association circuit. He highlighted 2020 finishing 15th at the Florida Azalea Amateur (71-72-71/214). He posted 10 top-15 finishes during 2019, showcased by a 10shot win at the Canadian Junior Golf Association (CJGA) Mizuno National Championship (67-74-7372/286). He highlighted his 2018 season winning the CJGA Eastern Canadian Junior Championship (7466-70/210).

Barlow: “Bavake brings a wealth of experience on both the junior and amateur golf scene. He is

such and down-to-earth person that he really will be a quality fit for us. His work ethic and refuseto-lose attitude was something that stood out to us in our evaluation process.”

Originally from Beijing, China, Liu has grown up in Canada and attends Westmount Collegiate College (Thornhill, Ontario). This year, Liu had three 3-place finishes -- at the New Year’s Invitational (75-66-72/213) in Florida, the Golf Ontario Junior Boys Championship (68-71-69-81/289) and at the Toronto Players Professional Tour (7169/140) stop on Aug. 24-25.

“Yuqi has put together a very impressive golf resume -- here and internationally,” Barlow said. “To say Yuqi is very talented would be an understatement. His ceiling is so high, and we truly believe the sky is the limit.”

Michigan Corner Golf Journal College

MSU Women’s Golf Adds Three for 2021 Brooke Biermann | Wildwood, Mo.

Shannon Kennedy | Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Katie Lu | Plainsboro, N.J.

A 2020 Rolex Junior First Team All-American, ranked No. 9 in the Rolex American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) rankings, and ranked No. 13 in the Golfweek Girls Junior rankings.

Named the 2020 Michigan Miss Golf by the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association, which also voted her a 3-time Super Team selection. Won three Michigan high school individual state finals: taking the Division 3 titles in 2020 and 2019 and the Division 2 title in 2017 as a freshman. Led her team to back-to-back D3 team state championships the past two seasons.

Ranked the No. 32 player in the class of 2021 in the Golfweek Girls Junior rankings and ranked No. 37 in the Rolex AJGA Class of 2021 rankings and No. 101 overall in the AJGA rankings.

Won the AJGA Stan Utley and Mid-America Youth Golf Foundation Junior Championship in July with a 5-under-par 139. Finished as the runner-up in a pair of high-profile AJGA events, including the Girls Invitational at Stanford in September and the Missouri Amateur Championship in July, which included a careerbest 65 in round two.

Qualified for the 2021 USGA Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship (as did 4 current Spartans: Lelia Raines/Valentina Rossi and Yurika Tanida/Sydney Naro). Qualified for match play at the 2020 Women’s Western Amateur. Won the 2019 Missouri Class 2 State Championship and finished second in both 2020 and 2018.

Outside of high school golf, Kennedy advanced to the sweet 16 of the 2018 Michigan Women’s Amateur Championship. Also finished as runner-up at the Michigan Girls Junior Championship the same year.

Named the 2019 Detroit Free Press Girls Golfer of the Year, the former hockey player improved her high school scoring average from 74 in 2019 to 69.75 in this, her senior year, at Marion High School.

Won the 2020 New Jersey Junior Girls Championship with an even-par 144; and is the 2020 New Jersey Women’s Amateur Stroke Play champion. She then took second at the New Jersey PGA Junior Championship in August and finished as runner-up in the New Jersey Capital Cup and the AJGA KJ Choi Foundation Junior Championship.

Won the 2018 New Jersey PGA Junior Open. Placed in the top five of the New Jersey High School Girls State Championship as a freshman; 2-time allconference selection.

Attends West WindsorPlainsboro North High School. MGJ

Michigan Golf Journal Bandon Dunes

Bandon Dunes: a Pacific Paradise

By Tom Lang

Where do we begin?

An October trip to Bandon Dunes showed exactly how the world-famous Oregon location on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, executes its reputation as great American golf with a flair of old-world Ireland. The golf superlatives could run the length of your best drive of the day – but there’s only so much space in print to share what a great,

traditional experience lies ahead for golfers who make the pilgrimage.

Tradition is a good place to start, with six walking-only golf courses at Bandon – including the par 3 Bandon Preserve layout. Each choice will take any golfer back in time when links golf was simply a few clubs and wind-swept natural shoreline; that is until you utilize the restaurant and

lodging facilities with all the modern touches.

Pacific Dunes: Michigan’s Tom Doak designed this terrific layout with super-wide fairways and amazing par 3s a plenty. The back tees are ‘only’ 6633 yards, and the green tees played very comfortably for this average golfer, at 6142.

Our twosome with caddies,

December 2020 www.michigangolfjournal.com

following a 3-some still only took 3:10 to complete 18 holes across the firm and fast ground that allows most shots some extra roll toward the beautiful green complexes. The putting surfaces have their share of dips and swells, but they were not tricked up.

The back nine is unique and was my favorite section of three courses played. The turn from 9-to-10 is not made at the clubhouse, but rather out by the cliff overlooking the wideopen Pacific Ocean beach hundreds of feet below. Just another subtle feature that

truly emulates traditional links style golf. Holes 10 and 11 are back-to-back par 3s, but the fun doesn’t end there, as two more par 3s await at Holes 14 and 17.

Add three par 5s on the back nine and you’re in for a unique treat.

Each par 3 has its own distinct features and stand alone as the better holes across the entire 18. Some go uphill, some downhill, and one over a small jagged-cut coastline valley to fill your round with variety and fun.

The overall feel is rough and rugged around the edges,

35

particularly the bunker designs – where a handful of very deep bunkers need to be avoided at all costs. A few are 8-10 feet deep.

While anyone’s initial thoughts heading out could be perceived as treacherous, I played all 18 holes with one ball thanks to patience and wide fairways.

Overall, the experience exudes very natural terrain in an organic coastline setting. Nothing jumped out to me in the design as being there because it needed to be manufactured by mankind.

Bandon Dunes Bandon Dunes: The original course on site, design by David McLay Kidd, has many similarities to what Doak did at Pacific Dunes, which isn’t surprising as the land is nearly identical. The only feature that stood out as different was more bunkers littering the middle areas of fairways instead of keeping to the perimeter on Pacific.

My favorite back-to-back holes for playing and viewing were two par fours, No. 4 and 5. The 4th had a pinched landing area at the point the fairway turned right to a green perched at the ocean’s edge, making it the only fairway that was unusually tight in a key landing location. No. 5 had a fun approach to the green with high mounding on both sides due to a

small gap between two dunes, giving it a tunnel feel heading into a green with rolling ridges.

In a Golf Digest review last year that ranked Bandon Dunes as the 36th best course in the country (private and public), a panelist was quoted saying: “When evaluating Bandon Dunes versus Pacific Dunes, you couldn’t fault someone for picking one over the other. Bandon Dunes is the original, it feels more rustic, but Pacific Dunes has more breathtaking holes and has very few that disappoint. Bandon is still a masterpiece.”

Bandon Preserve: This 13-hole par 3 course overlooks the ocean as well, but from a little further back off the shoreline. The

Coore-Crenshaw design is a very, very fun play, but it felt like I burned more calories and was more physically wiped out after traversing its dramatic up and down routing, compared to a full 18 holes on the other courses.

Many greens are surrounded by mounding that can favorably kick your wayward tee shot back onto the green – which happened to me when a bad, wide-right shot turned into a 3-foot putt for birdie on No. 12. The combined green of holes No. 4 and 7 is very cool, and the 9th green is closest to the Pacific and has excellent views with its subtle, double tier design.

A return trip is in the works to give the other 3 layouts a try! MGJ

News and Notes

Ally Challenge Announced 2020 charitable donation of $800,000 GRAND BLANC, Mich. – Tournament Officials announced that the 2020 Ally Challenge presented by McLaren, raised $801,563 for charitable organizations in southeastern Michigan and beyond. The amount continues the impressive giving legacy in the event’s short 3-year history.

Since its inception in 2018, The Ally Challenge has donated a total of nearly $3.2 million in support of

local charities in the greater Flint area and beyond.

Tickets are on sale now for the 2021 event, set to take place August 27-29, at theallychallenge.com.

Special introductory pricing and best offers will be available through December 15, 2020.

The tournament also announced that GRAMMY, EMMY, ACM, CMA and AMA Award-winning group Little

Big Town will headline the annual Community Concert presented by Ally. The event will take place on the driving range at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, Saturday, August 28, following the second round of competition of the PGA Tour Champions event. MGJ

Pinehurst Special Pricing Newly minted as the USGA’s Southern headquarters and its first U.S. Open “Anchor Site,” Michigan golfers can test their mettle year-round on famed Pinehurst No. 2 and Gil Hanse-designed No. 4 via the popular Donald Ross Package. December through February is a value-laden period with package rates dropping as much as 50%.

The Donald Ross Package includes a two-night stay and three rounds, as well as breakfast and dinner, daily. In between playing championship layouts, don’t miss The Cradle – the resort’s 789-yard short course.

Golfers can choose from three hotels: the Carolina, Holly and the recently

renovated Manor. The Carolina Villas in the west wing of the Carolina are perfect for golf groups, with four private bedrooms, a spacious living room, wet bar and patio or deck for relaxing outdoors.

For more information, visit www.pinehurst.com MGJ

Golf Tips

FULL SWING CONCEPT Golf Tips by Dave Kendall

The most important job of our body in good golf is to provide the most efficient blend of balance (legs, hips, spine), speed (arms), and reliability (club face). When we get this blend correct, rhythm, power, consistency, and confidence are the by-products.

The most common error in putting together this blend is that misguided effort will create distance without regard for balance and reliability. The greatest inhibitor of good balance is too much effort at the wrong time from the wrong place. This puts the speed mechanisms, arms and hands, in bad positions to create speed in the desired direction. Sometimes it is because of a physical deficiency, inflexibility or lack of adequate strength in a part of the body.

Most often it is because of a misunderstanding of how speed and efficiency are created. Speed is a result of good balance and coordination of body, arms, and arm rotation. Reliability is a result of good balance (contact) and clubface awareness (direction).

Complicated, inefficient swings are usually the result of bad balance, and/or an inefficient sequence of motion. Good balance is very attainable for most any golfer if it is made a priority. Once we have good balance, proper sequence becomes very possible. It must be understood conceptually and practiced consistently.

The most important component to balance is a stable lower body. Lower body stability will allow the upper body to rotate behind the ball in the backswing and flow through the ball during the forward swing. Inefficient lower body movement will make it almost impossible to create efficient upper body movement and flow.

If the pursuit of speed compromises balance and reliability, it is very harmful to good golf.

Our priority should be to only swing as fast as we can maintain good balance and ball flight reliability. Once we get in good balance our arms will be able to move faster, in the right direction. Being a good player is being smart about our approach, not simply expecting to bully the ball around the course. MGJ

Club Care

Check and Clean Your Clubs for Winter

By Emily Rohdy, PGA Head Professional at Bucks Run Golf Club

Even though the cold temperatures and frosty mornings have set in, it does not mean your golf season is over quite yet. Many people throw their clubs in the garage for the winter without giving them any thought until spring rolls around.

However, here are some of my favorite tips for preparing your golf clubs for winter so you’re ready to go come springtime.

1. Do your Golf Clubs Need Re-gripped?

Check your grips to make sure they are clean and tacky. If not, the winter is a great time to evaluate your set and determine what needs to be done.

If your grips are wearing down, look at having your clubs re-gripped.

2. Check the Grooves of your Golf Clubs

It is also important to examine the grooves of your clubs -- especially your irons and wedges. Wedge grooves can get worndown easily from the continual use they receive. Plus, the dirt that sits in the grooves can make them generate less spin, giving you less control around the greens. Just take some warm water, a little soap, a soft bristled brush, and towel and get those clubs cleaned-up to prevent rust and wear.

3. Clean out your Golf Bag

Another smart thing to tackle before storing your equipment is cleaning out your golf bag and throwing out any used/ unnecessary items that have collected throughout the year. Get rid of those holey gloves and cut up golf balls so you can start fresh.

4. Consider Updating Equipment

Finally, if you need to update equipment, the off-season can be a great time to contact your local golf course to inquire about replacement clubs, bags, and other accessories. Doing this now can also help you avoid the spring rush to purchase equipment. MGJ

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