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n
GUEST ESSAY By Clair Peterson
Finding our way It’s been a long and winding road the John Deere Classic has traveled, but the trip is getting smoother ot long ago, it was a scenario few would have predicted. This year, the John Deere Classic will celebrate its 40th anniversary on the western border of the CDGA as many of the world’s top players gather at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. to compete for their share of a $4.4 million purse. The lowest of the top-five John Deere Classic finishers not already qualified to play in the British Open will receive an exemption into the world’s oldest and most international major championship. And the tournament will ensure that he and others are able to get there as conveniently as possible. On Sunday evening, after the final round, he will join more than 20 of his fellow professionals on luxury charters that will fly them directly from Quad City International Airport to Scotland. At a time when a number of PGA Tour events around the country are concerned about their survival, the John Deere Classic continues a steady upward trajectory, as it raised $4.63 million for charity in 2009, making it No. 1 in per capita giving and No. 5 on Tour in total charity dollars raised. It hasn’t always been the case. The likelihood that the Quad Citiesbased tournament, which began as an unofficial event in 1971, would last four decades was a bet no oddsmaker would have taken. Several times the tournament came to the brink of shutting down for any number of reasons: the lack of adequate prize money, no reliable title sponsor, bad dates, weak fields, rained-out pro-ams and overwhelming debt. But each year, through tireless volunteerism, ingenuity and support from local governments, civic groups and the Tour, the event lived on. It is
N
the area’s only major league sports event and the community has worked collectively to keep it. After years of living on the edge of extinction, the tournament’s fortunes changed dramatically in April 1997. That’s when John Deere, whose world headquarters is in Moline, Ill., announced a nine-year title sponsorship agreement with the PGA Tour beginning the following year. At the same time, Deere, a manufacturer of agricultural and golf course maintenance equipment, entered into an agreement to be the official golf course equipment supplier of the Tour and lease maintenance equipment for each of the Tour’s owned or operated Tournament Players Club courses. Deere also provided 385 acres of scenic, company-owned land to the Tour for the design and construction of TPC Deere Run, where the tournament has been played since 2000. Deere since has extended its sponsorship twice and currently is committed through 2016. Over the years, another major challenge has been, and to some extent still is, when it is played. The tournament started as a fall event, but in 1974 it was moved to the summer, directly opposite the British Open, to serve as a stateside alternative. Unable to attract the high-profile stars who were across the pond, the tournament moved back to the fall in 1990. The new dates attracted better fields, but also battled cold, rainy weather and a competition in an unwinnable battle with football. By 1997 the tournament was back in the summer, and in 2004, the Classic moved to the week before the British Open. Although the pre-British date still made it difficult to convince players to commit to the event, it gave people a new way to think about solving the eternal date problem.
Clair Peterson
A solution came after Cedar Rapids, Iowa native and 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson joined the tournament executive board. Through discussions with Johnson and others, it was determined the best way for the tournament to improve its field would be to find a way to ease the transportation issue of players going from western Illinois to the British Isles. The idea of a chartered jet would alleviate the nightmarish problem of players losing luggage—or worse, their clubs. The jet would come in lieu of major purse increases. But instead of the John Deere Classic’s date being an impediment to playing the event, players would begin to view the jet as the opposite: a reason to play. The strategy worked. The year prior to the jet, 2007, seven British Open-eligible players competed at the John Deere. In 2008, 20 players did. The number then jumped to 24 and this year, due to popular demand, a second jet has been added. Forty years after the PGA Tour came to the Quad Cities, the tournament is still improving. Here’s hoping today’s struggling events can find partners the quality of John Deere. Clair Peterson has been the John Deere Classic tournament director since 2002.
Comments are solely the opinion of the author and not neccessarily those of the CDGA. Letters and opinions are welcome at info@cdga.org. J U LY 2 0 1 0
CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLFER | 5
CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLF ASSOCIATION F O R E V E RYO N E W H O P L AYS T H E G A M E Midwest Golf House | 11855 Archer Ave. | Lemont, IL 60439 | 630-257-2005 | Fax 630-257-2088 | www.cdga.org
OFFICERS PRESIDENT Matthew L. Pekarek, Village Links of Glen Ellyn
VICE PRESIDENT AT LARGE James B. Madison, M.D., Illini CC
TREASURER Michael J. Grandinetti, Calumet CC
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT Keith Frankland, Village Greens of Woodridge
VICE PRESIDENT AT LARGE Christine L. Stevens, Cress Creek CC
GENERAL COUNSEL Sheldon Solow, Briarwood CC
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT David Haverick, Glen Flora CC
SECRETARY Alan J. Hunken, Bob O’Link GC
EX-OFFICIO Jerry Williams, Olympia Fields CC
GOVERNORS Thomas Allison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Beverly CC
Thomas H. Roth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inverness GC
Steven S. Birky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Harrison Park GC
Don Schwarz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Prestwick CC
William R. Buecking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .At Large
Lawrence W. Schweik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bartlett Hills GC
C. Daniel Cochran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Biltmore CC
Lorraine Scodro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Midlothian CC
Frank D’Ambra, Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Biltmore CC
Philip Shannabarger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Den at Fox Creek
David A. Esler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Black Sheep GC
Gerald Skoning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cog Hill G & CC
Charles E. Hodgson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Arrowhead CC
Rebecca A. Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chalet Hills GC
Gerald R. Hodgson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pekin CC
A. Glenn Stith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Arrowhead GC
Nick Mokelke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cog Hill G & CC
Robert J. Stracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Northmoor CC
Mike Nass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cantigny Golf
Marianne Zito . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stonebridge CC
Dennis A. Reed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pekin CC
VO L U M E 21, N U M B E R 3
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
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DIRECTORS Robert E. Allgyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Shoreacres
Jack Kieckhefer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mauh-Nah-Tee-See CC
Richard Andre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ridge CC
William Kingore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Beverly CC
Thomas R. Artz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sportsman’s CC
Gary B. Koch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .At Large
Guy Arvia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Exmoor CC
Bill Koeneman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .At Large
Randy Becker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Winnetka CC
Daniel R. Krpan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Boulder Ridge CC
Daniel M. Blouin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Village Greens of Woodridge
Laurence J. LaBoda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kemper Lakes CC
Andrew Boling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chicago GC
Josh Lesnik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .The Glen Club
Mary Burgland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Soangetaha CC
Gregory Liebovich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Big Foot CC
Michael Camino, D.D.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Conway Farms GC
R. Scott Malmgren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Glen Oak CC
Gordon L. Campbell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ruth Lake CC
Christopher R. McClear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .At Large
Frank Charhut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wilmette GC
Richard McCombs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Oak Park CC
Steven L. Cherveny . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Foxford Hills GC
Elston Mitchell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pontiac Elks CC
John A. Childers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Elgin CC
David Mortell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Balmoral Woods CC
Michael J. Choate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .North Shore CC
Thomas E. Mott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rockford CC
ADVERTISING SALES
Michael E. Clark, D.P.M. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CC of Decatur
Edward Mulcahy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Midlothian CC
Edward Clissold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Westmoreland CC
Rudolph E. Nelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Schaumburg GC
Henry Close . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Aldeen GC
H. Steven Nichols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Champaign CC
David Crockett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .At Large
Clay Nicolsen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mistwood GC
Guy Crucil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Medinah CC
Lawrence Oakford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Woodstock CC
Robert J. Cunningham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Indian Hill Club
James J. O’Hagan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Park Ridge CC
Ronald Davidson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Makray Memorial GC
John Ozag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rolling Green CC
Anthony DeMarco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Olympia Fields CC
John Paladino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Forest Hills CC
Michael J. Dickman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Flossmoor CC
Arthur W. Peters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ruth Lake CC
Robert Dutton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Timber Creek CC
Roger L. Peterson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lincolnshire Fields CC
Jeffrey D. Echt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lake Shore CC
Ronald Potter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .White Eagle GC
Richard Estlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Terrace Hill GC
D. William Robertson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PrairieView GC
Chicago • Robert A. Rose & Associates 312-755-1133 Travel and Real Estate • Jereme Day 913-499-7310 Florida/Caribbean • Mary Dees 407-515-2601 Western • Jason Redditt 619-546-8721 Hawaii • Loren Malenchek 808-283-7112 Southwest • Rachel Patel 480-614-5230 Southeast/Midwest • Katie Jordan 404-869-8107 Detroit • Flavin Associates Inc. 248-524-9000 East Coast Sales Manager • Henry Robinson 843-261-9008
William Finn, M.D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Riverside GC
John Rolfe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Northmoor CC
Michael Forde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Butler National GC
Michael Rooney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Butler National GC
Larry Fulgenzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Old Wayne GC
James F. Rudwall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ivanhoe Club
Mary Garrison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Winnetka GC
Samuel M.Sallerson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bryn Mawr CC
Thomas A. Gilley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Flossmoor CC
Michael J. Scheer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .LaGrange CC
Kevin Gratkowski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lost Dunes
Richard J. Skrodzki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .LaGrange CC
Roger D. Greer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Skokie CC
Laura Spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .St. Charles CC
Michael Griem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Exmoor CC
Darryl Stock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Red Tail Run GC
Howard Haberkorn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Boulder Ridge CC
C. Nelson Strom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Stonewall Orchard GC
James J. Hager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lake Barrington Shores GC
Mike Sullivan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bloomington CC
Thomas J. Haggerty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Butterfield CC
Nancy L. Sullivan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Westmoreland CC
J. Loren Hall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Blackstone GC
James Troy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Crystal Tree G & CC
Eugene N. Halladay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hinsdale GC
Kenneth Urbaszewski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Deerfield GC
John L. Hammond, II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Evanston GC
David A. Usiak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Crestwicke CC
John Henderson, M.D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CC of Peoria
Anthony M. Viola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Old Orchard CC
Robert Hinton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Panther Creek CC
Timothy Vola . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Harborside International
Edward J. Hockfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hillcrest CC
Ben Waldie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .St. Charles CC
John C. Hoelscher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WeaverRidge GC
David A. Walters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Crystal Lake CC
Betty Kaufmann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Knollwood Club
Joe Williamson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Briar Ridge CC
Peter Keffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Aldeen GC
James E. Winslow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inverness GC
Chairman: Rance Crain Vice President: Merrilee Crain President, Golfweek: Clayton Morris Vice President: Patti Green Art Director: Alison Fox Assistant Editor: Amy Parker Production Manager: Anna Murray Information Systems Manager: Tom Miller Production Coordinator: Laura Salinas Advertising Coordinator: Deborah Hesselbart
CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLFER (ISSN: #10876502) is published six times annually by the Chicago District Golf Association, Midwest Golf House, 11855 Archer Avenue, Lemont, IL 60439. Periodical postage paid at Lemont, IL 60439 and additional mailing offices. Editorial offices are located at Midwest Golf House, 11855 Archer Avenue, Lemont, IL 60439. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Chicago District Golfer, Midwest Golf House, 11855 Archer Avenue, Lemont, IL 60439. One-year subscription is $15. Copyright by Chicago District Golf Association. All rights reserved. The advertising space provided in Chicago District Golfer is purchased and paid for by the advertiser. None of the products or services are necessarily endorsed by Turnstile Publishing, the CDGA or its affiliates.
J.C. Wise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Plum Tree National GC Karl Keller, D.D.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kankakee Elks GC The listing of the CDGA professional staff is available at www.cdga.org.
6 | CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLFER
W W W. C D G A . O R G
July 2010 | Vol. 21 No. 3
Features 24 CAREER DAZE By Jim Owczarski
For several name players who have been successful at the District or state levels, a career in golf still is their top priority. 30 HISTORY LESSON By Len Ziehm
Though the Western Amateur is 108 years old, the site of the 2010 event predates the prestigious championship. 32 TIME SAVERS
37
By Ed Sherman
With our busy schedules making it more difficult to fit in 18 holes, the opportunity to play nine holes is an option gaining in popularity.
37 GOLF IN THE CITY
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By Amy Parker
The Chicago Park District courses provide convenient access to golf without ever having to leave the city. Departments GUEST ESSAY Clair Peterson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
AROUND THE CDGA Club Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Fit for Golf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Aces in the Crowd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Tournament Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
FACILITY FOCUS
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Sanctuary Golf Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
DESTINATION Minneapolis/St. Paul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
GEMS OF THE CDGA The second (Woodside nine) at Cantigny Golf . . . . 42
RULES It’s match play or stroke play, but not both . . . . 44 COVER: Joe Affrunti (photo courtesy PGA Tour). CONTENTS: (from top): Valerie Lawrence (photo by Buzz Orr/CDGA); Skokie Country Club (photo courtesy Western Golf Association); and The Wilds Golf Club (photo by Peter Wong).
J U LY 2 0 1 0
CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLFER | 7
Around the CDGA F O U N D AT I O N F O C U S
» CLUB
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NAMES IN THE NEWS
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CLUB CORNER
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IN THE NEWS
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T O U R N A M E N T U P D AT E
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FIT FOR GOLF
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C D G A U P D AT E
CORNER
Forged or cast: What has changed? TWENTY YEARS AGO, it was an easy and obvious decision for
a player to choose between a forged and an investment cast set of irons. Forged irons were small blade-type irons, muscle-backs as they were known. Cast irons were larger cavity-backs, easier to hit with a generally higher ball flight. The good players always played forged, and the rest of us played cast. Life was easier back then. Things are different now. Forged irons are now available in very forgiving cavity-back designs, and cast clubs are available in muscle-back or blade designs. These days, it is critical that a player is able to differentiate between the processes (forged vs. cast), and the design (blade vs. cavity-back). Both cast and forged as well as cavity-back and muscle-backs have their advantages and disadvantages. Investment cast clubs are just that: cast. A hard stainless steel heated into a liquid form is poured into a mold. This produces a very hard club head, generally lacking the feel of a forging. Yet, because the material used is so hard, the faces can be made thinner than a forging, creating a club that can produce hotter faces increasing ball speed and distance. Forgings, on the other hand, are stamped or forged into shape from soft carbon steel. This produces a softer club head with more feel. It is generally believed that well-made forgings, because they have a more consistent metal density, provide better distance control.
Cavity-back irons generally will have a lower center of gravity that will produce higher launch angles. They will also have more of the overall weight around the perimeter of the face, making the club more forgiving on off-center shots. Cavity-backs also have a deeper center of gravity, which reduces back spin and increases a club’s stability, or moment of inertia. Muscle-back, or blade-type irons, have a higher center of gravity that produces lower launch angles and are generally less forgiving on off-center shots. Because the weight is more forward in a blade, it tends to spin more. The weight also tends to be more toward the heel, which will cause the club to close faster at impact. This allows a player to ‘work’ the ball more easily. Ultimately, players today should throw off previously believed notions regarding either forged or cast irons. Forgings now are successfully used by players of all handicap levels, just as castings are used by the best players in the world. What matters is if a particular club head suits a player’s individual needs as it relates to the launch conditions required to improve shot-making. A certified club fitter will help any player determine what those specific launch conditions are and find the suitable club head/shaft combination to achieve those goals. —Joseph Jung
» FIT FOR GOLF Help to improve your balance A GOLFER’S BALANCE AND upper body/lower body separation are two physical components to one’s game that could always improve. A great exercise to help players improve their balance and also create some separation between the upper body and lower body is called the stork turn. There are two ways to do the stork turn exercise: either supported or unsupported. It is best to start to do this in the supported position first and progress to unsupported once a person feels confident that his balance is good and he can still perform the movement as well. Supported stork turn • Stand up tall and place both hands on top of a golf club, upright in front of you. Lift one leg and hook your foot behind the
8 | CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLFER
supported knee. Keeping the shoulders completely still, take the unsupported knee and rotate it across the supported leg. Repeat 10-15 times, again maintaining your balance and keeping the upper body still. Switch leg positions and repeat 10-15 times in the opposite direction. Do two or three sets on each leg. Unsupported stork turn (advanced exercise) • Repeat the instructions above but with your hands crossed gently across your shoulders. Remember to consult your physician before starting an exercise program. For more information on AthletiCo’s Golf Performance Center, call 630-572-9700 or visit www.athleticogolfcenter.com. —Tom Asuma
W W W. C D G A . O R G
MADE IN CHICAGO
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NEWS AND NOTES
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CHIP SHOTS
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PEOPLE AND PLACES
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CDGA ONLINE
» PEOPLE AND PLACES On the move A NUMBER OF PGA PROFESSIONALS
have found new homes in 2010. John Kohler moved to Coyote Creek Golf Club from Canton Country Club; Scott Sandfort joined Algonquin Golf Club from Elgin Country Club and Kurt Uniek is now located at Ravisloe Country Club after working at Midlothian Country Club. Others at new locales include Joseph Sterr (Springbrook Golf Course), Cory Ferrell (Old Oak Country Club), Keith Pike (Sugar Grove Golf Center), Daniel Lee Waters (Bob O’Link Golf Club), Jeffrey A. Perdew (Chicago Highlands Club), Bryan Luedtke (Plum Tree National Golf Club) and Michael Napoleon moved from TPC Scottsdale to the Kinetic Performance Center. ■ Golf World magazine recently named Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course in Chicago as its 18th best nine-hole golf course in the country. The Chicago Park District golf course measures 3,240 yards. ■ Third-year PGA Tour pro Kevin Streelman isn’t just becoming a staple on golf’s biggest stage; he’s becoming one in the digital world. The Winfield native has become a presence online with not only his Web site (www.kevinstreelmangolf.com), created by his wife,
Courtney, but with his involvement on Twitter (@Streels54) and Facebook (Kevin Streelman Fan Club). But his biggest impact can be felt on your mobile device. Streelman, along with S-Squared Golf, helped create the Golf Like A Tour Pro phone application, which is now available on the iPhone, iTouch and Android. “It just was really an idea by my neighbor and business partner (Larry Slivka) that we could use Kevin Streelman this incredible technology to give us quick, accurate information and video information on how I play the game of golf,” Streelman said. “It has over 50 different shots, everything from uphill, downhill, sidehill, buried lie, tight lie, first-tee jitters, hitting a hook, hitting a cut—almost every shot I really come across and what I think about and what adjustments I make in my setup in order to handle a particular situation.” It’s a relatively inexpensive technology, too. It only costs $4.99. “For the cost of a single ball people will have pretty much all of my secrets to how I play the game,” Streelman said. —Jim Owczarski
Parts of Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course are adjacent to Lake Michigan.
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ACES IN THE CROWD
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TOURNEY TICKER
ACES IN THE CROWD
Chuck Buescher Peoria Buescher made two holes-in-one during the same round at Cascata Golf Club in Boulder City, Nev., in mid-May. For his first, he holed an 8-iron from 139 yards at the par-3 seventh. Buescher, 65, then aced the 150-yard, par-3 12th with a 6-iron. They were the third and fourth career holesin-one for Buescher, a longtime high school and college coach and now a radio color analyst for Bradley University basketball games. The odds against a golfer making two holes-in-one during the same round have been estimated to be as high as 67 million-to-1.
Nicole Jeray Berwyn Jeray advanced through sectional qualifying at Twin Orchard Country Club in Long Grove and earned a spot in the U.S. Women’s Open, to be played July 8-11 at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club. She shared medalist honors by shooting 72-73—145; five players from a 73-player field at Twin Orchard, one of 15 qualifying sites around the country, advanced to the championship. This will be Jeray’s second Women’s Open; she played in 2001 at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C., but shot 77-72 and missed the cut.
Corey Konieczki Rockford Konieczki signed a national letter of intent to play on the men’s golf team at Marquette University starting in the fall. A graduate of Boylan Catholic School in Rockford, he was a four-time team MVP and helped the squad win four conference titles and a regional championship. He also won six high school tournaments, including back-to-back medalist honors at the NIC-10 Championship. Other top performances include a thirdplace finish at the Big “I” National Championship with a 6-under-par 274.
Kyle Peterman Sherman
BUZZ ORR/CDGA
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A recent graduate of Western Illinois University, Peterman was selected to play as an individual in the NCAA West Regional in Bremerton, Wash. After finishing tied for 16th at the Summit League Championship, he missed earning an automatic spot but was given an at-large bid from the selection committee. He tied for 16th in the regional, falling short of advancing to the national championship. This year, Peterman had two wins, finished in the top five in 10 out of 12 events and led the Summit League with a 71.5 scoring average. Aces In The Crowd recognizes noteworthy accomplishments by people in the CDGA coverage coverage area. Prospective candidates for Aces In The Crowd may be submitted via e-mail to info@cdga.org or aparker@golfweek.com.
CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLFER | 9
Around the CDGA F O U N D AT I O N F O C U S
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NAMES IN THE NEWS
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CLUB CORNER
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IN THE NEWS
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T O U R N A M E N T U P D AT E
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FIT FOR GOLF
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C D G A U P D AT E
» TOURNAMENT UPDATE FEATURED COURSE
RADIX CUP
Bull Valley Golf Club
IPGA team snags another win against amateurs PGA professional team regained possession of the Radix Cup for the first time since 2007, defeating the CDGA Amateur team, 10-8, in midJune at Oak Park Country Club in River Grove, Ill. The pairing of Frank Bruno and David Paeglow led the way for the professionals by winning all three points in their match. John Ehrgott and Dave Ryan led the amateur effort, tallying 21⁄2 points, while Brad Hopfinger and Kyle Peterman, each competing in their first Radix Cup, scored two points for the CDGA team. The Radix Cup, named after former CDGA president and event founder Harry E. Radix, is an annual team
competition between the top amateur and professional golfers in the state. Players from each side are selected by the respective organizations’ previous season’s point standings. The annual matches are contested between groups of two-person teams in a better ball, match-play format with three points available in each of six matches: one for each nine and one for the total. With the victory, the IPGA increased its overall lead in the series to 32-15-2. The event, however, has become much more competitive over the past 15 years—since a tie in 1995—with the Illinois PGA having eight victories in that time to the CDGA’s seven.
THE ILLINOIS
BULL VALLEY GOLF CLUB in Woodstock, Ill., is considered by many to be one of the crown jewels among notable private country clubs in the Midwest. Chicago landscape architect Harry Vignocchi and his childhood friend, Steve Sidari, are co-founders of the club that opened in the fall of 1989. Vignocchi and Sidari enlisted golf course architect Dick Nugent to design the layout among nearly 200 home sites and dozens of acres of preserved natural terrain. The course winds its way through both tree-lined forests and sweeping meadows and features several stunning vistas along the way. Bull Valley was the site of U.S. Open sectional qualifying and the CDGA Amateur Championship in 2010. The downhill, par-3 13th hole at Bull Valley Golf Club is arguably the hardest par 3 on the course. The hole measures 220 yards at its longest—from the tees that are affectionately known throughout the golf course as the “Tip of the Horn.” The tee shot must carry a pond that comes up to the front of the green. The right side of the green is guarded by a large cluster of trees, and two deep bunkers catch most shots hit left of the green. The green itself slopes sharply from the back right to the front left. The ideal shot is to the middle or front left portion of the green to leave an uphill putt to most hole locations.
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RADIX CUP RESULTS
June 9 Oak Park Country Club, River Grove, Ill. CDGA
IPGA
Rick LeHew/Todd Mitchell John Ehrgott/Dave Ryan Joe Emerich/Jeff Kellen Troy Logan/Steve Sawtell Brad Hopfinger/Kyle Peterman
1⁄ 2
vs.
Scott Baines/Connie DeMattia
21⁄ 2
vs.
Gary Groh/Mike Harrigan
0
vs.
Frank Bruno/David Paeglow
3 11⁄ 2
11⁄ 2
vs.
Billy Rosinia/Marty Schiene
2
vs.
Ben Putka/Matt Slowinski
11⁄ 2
Mark Roche/Tim Sheppard
8
TOTAL
vs.
Steve Orrick/Mark Miller TOTAL
21⁄ 2 1⁄ 2
1 1 1 ⁄2
10
FEATURED PLAYER
Bob Moran, Kildeer
Bob Moran
• Started playing: I picked up the game when I worked as a caddie at Twin Orchard. • Dream foursome: Phil Mickelson, Phil Ogden, Bobby Jones • Favorite moment: Playing friendly games at Wynstone. • Why tournament golf: It’s the greatest challenge for your golf game. You have to find the right rhythm, have solid contact and be solid all around. • If you could play a round anywhere, it would be: Prairie Dunes, Hutchinson, Kan. • Final thoughts on the game: The game of golf is a great stress reliever and a lot of fun. It’s a great individual challenge. I think it probably ranks right up there with boxing as the toughest individual challenge in sports.
W W W. C D G A . O R G
Around the CDGA F O U N D AT I O N F O C U S
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NAMES IN THE NEWS
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CLUB CORNER
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IN THE NEWS
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T O U R N A M E N T U P D AT E
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FIT FOR GOLF
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C D G A U P D AT E
» FOUNDATION FOCUS Foundation outing is another fundraising success THE
SUNSHINE
THROUGH
GOLF
Strategizing to make a more useful cart the Sunshine Through Golf Foundation has strived to enrich the lives of those less fortunate, beginning with World War II veterans and continuing today with veterans, juniors, individuals with special needs, and the economically disadvantaged. Over the recent off-season, the Foundation took the first steps toward a program that could change the game for all golfers—at least those who choose to utilize a golf cart in the course of play. In association with several special recreation associations, cart and golf industry leaders, the Foundation has assembled a task force working with the hope of redesigning the modern golf cart to better accommodate individuals with a wide range of physical challenges.
SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1944,
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“This idea came about from seeing people who have disabilities that don’t need the use of a fully handicap-accessible cart, yet a regular cart doesn’t give them the ability to play,” said Foundation advisor Carl Hopphan. The task force has begun research to find feasible, cost-effective changes that can be made to the current two-passenger golf carts available today. Modifications being researched include: • A seat side bar/arm rest that has the ability to fold out to allow easier access into and out of the seat. • A side step that will allow golfers who have trouble lifting their leg to step up into the cart. • A steering wheel with decreased resistance to allow for a driver with
diminished upper body strength. • A stabilized split seat that allows a golfer to slide or swivel out and remain seated while swinging a club. • Forward/reverse lever system simplified into a push-button system. • An automatic motor shutoff when the seats are extended or a side seat out. The challenge for the task force is to find a cost-effective solution that makes sense for not only golf courses, but also cart manufacturers. “Some of the single-rider specialty vehicles in the market can cost more than twice as much as a current golf cart,” said Eric Nadler, committee member and vice president of sales for Nadler Golf Car. “Our goal is to design a vehicle that almost everyone can operate safely and effectively at a reasonable price where golf courses would accept these units.”
W W W. C D G A . O R G
CDGA
Foundation held its 10th annual golf outing June 14 at Beverly Country Club in Chicago. The outing provided participants with an opportunity to play one of Chicago’s premier private clubs. After completing recent renovations, Beverly was home to the 2009 USGA Senior Amateur Championship and named one of Golfweek’s top 100 classic golf courses (those constructed before 1960) in the country. In August, Beverly will add hosting an Illinois State Amateur Championship to its accolades. The outing is a popular draw for District golfers with event amenities such as a limited field, caddies for walking and a tee package from Titleist. However, as funds raised at this year’s golf outing totaled over $100,000, participants also Foundation athletes (from left) Anthony Lewaniak, Chris Rinaldi and Ray Strzewski have a Foundation focus. The golf outing began at Rich Harvest pose with a trophy from the 10th annual golf outing at Beverly Country Club. Farms in 2001, after the idea to have an outing was cornerstone fundraising event, raising more than $1 million suggested by CDGA Governors Thomas Allison and Sheldon in the last decade and regularly reaching its 24-team Solow. Allison and Solow, the outing’s co-chairs, felt capacity. When discussing the success of the last 10 years, confident they could successfully incorporate an outing Solow said, “Golf is a wonderful game because you have a into the Foundation’s annual fundraising efforts. lot of nice people who want to do a lot of nice things for Ten years later, the outing has become the Foundation’s people.”
MADE IN CHICAGO
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NEWS AND NOTES
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CHIP SHOTS
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PEOPLE AND PLACES
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CDGA ONLINE
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ACES IN THE CROWD
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TOURNEY TICKER
» NEWS AND NOTES CDGA Days at Six Flags July 22-25 THE CDGA, in conjunction with Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, are pleased to announce CDGA Days at Six Flags. From July 22-25, CDGA members may purchase a one-day admission to the park for $26—a $30 savings. Members should visit www.sixflags.com/greatamerica and utilize the promo code “CDGA” on that page. Members may print their own tickets to then be presented at the gate for admission. Passes for parking, meal deals and flash passes also are available for purchase online.
Eight local ranges are recognized GOLF RANGE MAGAZINE, a publication Scott Langley
Langley takes NCAA individual crown THE MEN’S GOLF TEAM from the University of Illinois did not qualify into the match play portion of the NCAA Championship, but the trip to The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn., just outside Chattanooga, still was a grand success. Junior Scott Langley became the first Big Ten Conference player to win the individual title in 11 years, since Luke Donald of Northwestern in 1999. He had scores of 70-68-68—206, 10 under par, to finish two strokes ahead of Alex Ching of San Diego and Peter Uihlein of Oklahoma State. In the team standings, the Illini finished 19th, eight strokes out of a playoff for the last of BIG TEN CHAMPS eight spots in the match play field Individual winners from the Big 10 at to determine the the NCAA Championship: team champion. 1932 J.W. Fischer, Michigan Langley pre1936 Charles Kocsis, Michigan viously finished 1944 Louis Lick, Minnesota tied for 24th 1945 John Lorms, Ohio State 1947 Dave Barclay, Michigan at the Big Ten 1950 Fred Wampler, Purdue Championships, 1951 Tom Nieporte, Ohio State then tied for sev1955 Joe Campbell, Purdue enth at the West 1956 Rick Jones, Ohio State Regional, help1961 Jack Nicklaus, Ohio State ing the Illini 1985 Clark Burroughs, Ohio State become one of 1998 James McLean, Minnesota 30 teams to 1999 Luke Donald, Northwestern compete at the 2010 Scott Langley, Illinois NCAA final.
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of the Golf Range Association of America, recently named the top 100 golf ranges in America for 2010 and the state of Illinois claimed eight on the list. “Year after year, the quality just keeps getting better,” said Steve di Costanzo, founder of Golf Range Magazine. “All of these facilities have distinguished themselves in the areas of teaching and training, operations and community outreach programs. These facilities and their owners and operators play an important role in grass roots
golf, golf club and equipment sales and offering family recreational programs.” The Midwest section of the top 100 golf ranges included eight (out of 31) from the state of Illinois:
• All Seasons Golf Learning Center, Normal • Cog Hill Learning Center, Lemont • Golf Center Des Plaines • Golf Nation, Palatine • Links & Tees Golf Facility, Addison • The Links at Ireland Grove, Bloomington • Skokie Sports Park • Zigfield Troy Golf, Woodridge
C H I C A G O D I S T R I C T G O L F E R | 13
FACILITY FOCUS
Santuary Golf Course
All Grown Up Sanctuary Golf Course has long welcomed players of all ages and abilities; it’s the fescue that puts up a fierce defense By Tim Cronin
T
The third hole at Sanctuary Golf Course
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W W W. C D G A . O R G
FRANK POLICH/CDGA
here aren’t that many places at Sanctuary Golf Course someone can’t play a shot from. Except from the fescue, that is. Don’t even think about it. From the fairways? Of course. The rough? Go for it. The bunkers? Certainly. A shot has even been played from up in a tree—once. But the fescue? There’s no rescue. Director of golf Bob Schulz made sure of that shortly after he arrived at Sanctuary Golf Course, the pride of the New Lenox Park District, in July 2005. Sanctuary opened in 1996 after a decade of planning and building, along with a timeout after some ancient
Indian remains were found near what became the practice range. A ceremonial boulder near the entrance commemorates the past, and while some hear tom-tom drum beats in the fall—it’s surely the band at nearby Lincoln-Way Central High School in a practice session—the focus is on the present. And on the fescue, which thrives. “The secret here is to keep it in the fairway,” Schulz said. “The rough is gnarly, but it can be forgiving.” The fescue isn’t. As architect Steve Halberg intended, it’s there on most holes with the exception of the two back in what Schulz calls Jurassic Park— the cozy point on the north end of the course across Marley Creek, where the 14th and 15th holes sit. Once extremely long, then cut back to nothing, Schulz and superintendent Doug Eggert collaborated on getting the length just right. Which is to say, the length where players look for about 10 seconds, utter something that’s unsuitable for young ears, sigh and then drop another ball.
“When I came in, everything was the same height, and it was mostly all hardpan,” Schulz recalled. “I said, ‘Let’s let it grow up.’ ” The result was not only visually impressive, but it brought back the character of the course. What had evolved into a mostly wide-open prairie—all or parts of at least 11 holes can be seen from the veranda of the clubhouse—turned into a thinker’s course. No longer can someone just smack driver 14 times— at least, not without paying the price. That’s demonstrated every July when the course is the site of a qualifier for the Illinois State Amateur Championship. “We’re one of the first sites to fill up, and it’s interesting to see how many don’t come back the following year,” Schulz said. “This is a course where someone comes in, says, ‘I should shoot 73 here,’ and they shoot a 79.” One of the reasons is how Halberg worked around the flood plain the course sits on by elevating every tee and green. The lofty locations equate to more length. “You’ve got to hit a club more,” Schulz said. “At 16, it’s a club and a half more.”
FACTS AND FIGURES ADDRESS:
485 Marley Road New Lenox, IL 60451
PHONE:
815-462-4653
WEB SITE:
www.golfsanctuary.com
No. 18 at Sanctuary Golf Course
18-HOLE GREEN FEES: $21-$45— depending on day and time—for nonresidents and $16-$31 for residents. CDGA TOURNAMENT: Illinois State Amateur qualifier, July 6.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW SIGNATURE HOLE: The fifth is a 568yard par 5 from the tips and it offers a deceptively wide view from the tee. Just don’t hit it left because the sweeping dogleg tightens severely at the second landing area and the green is difficult as well. HOLE WHERE A BOGEY GOLFER CAN MAKE BIRDIE: The par-4 second, 376
yards at full distance, has out-of-bounds on the left but otherwise is a pushover, especially when the hole is cut in the right front. Driver, wedge, one putt. HOLE WHERE A SCRATCH PLAYER WILL FIGHT FOR PAR: The par-4 ninth
was stretched to 452 yards when head professional Bob Schulz added a tee back in the trees. That means a haul of perhaps 240 yards to reach the fairway. EXTRA BALL INDEX: 31⁄2 (on a 1-to-10 scale). There’s water on nine holes, but in some cases a player has to be a spray hitter to find it. ABOUT THOSE INDIANS: An archeologist who participated in the examination of Native American artifacts said the site of Sanctuary was occupied from about 1000 to 1630 by a series of “encampments.” Pottery was similar to that found with the Winnebago, Iroquois, Miami or Illinois tribes. The remains of three bodies were reburied in Oklahoma. The artifacts are held by the Illinois State Museum. ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT: Don’t be surprised if a kayak comes by on the holes adjacent to Marley Creek. The creek, which winds through New Lenox, is often used by recreational rowers.
Local knowledge: The wind can fool you. “We’re in a valley,” Schulz said. “We get a lot of wind, but it changes.” Watch the flags on adjacent holes to see what you’re contending with. —Tim Cronin
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The wise golfer will catch on quickly, but Sanctuary’s no pushover. The course record of 65, by Martin Bozek of Hickory Hills at the State Amateur qualifier four years ago, is impressive. The runner-up that day shot 71. Sanctuary yields low scores grudgingly. It also enthusiastically welcomes the public. Except during years of so-called 100-year floods, which inundate the layout every four or five years, Sanctuary serves up around 36,000 rounds annually, up about 40 percent since Schulz arrived. He’s promoted outings, leagues and especially junior golf on summer Tuesdays. Those are the mornings and early afternoons when many a foursome has pulled up to the clubhouse, spied an empty parking lot, and were stunned to discover the course was jammed. “Sorry, fellas, it’s junior day,” Schulz says. A group composed of 40 kids just six years ago boasted 452 last year. It’s $20 to join and $10 to play as many holes as possible from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. on nine of 10 Tuesdays starting in early June. The exception: July 6, when the Illinois State Amateur qualifier is followed by a U.S. Kids tournament. “Does it cost me money? Probably,”
Schulz said. “But we’re a park district course, and it is our future playing.” Those juniors will eventually grow up and turn into full-rate customers who are crazy about the game, and perhaps Sanctuary. Say, like Matt Eilers, a New Lenox steel broker. It was Eilers who hit the shot heard ‘round Sanctuary, from a tree on the par-4 14th on a cold, wet day several years ago. But Eilers, whose career best round of 79 came on the course, didn’t hit his tee shot there. “One of my customers threw a club and it was caught in the tree,” Eilers said. “I think it was his pitching wedge. It was a greenside tree.” Eilers pulled a cart alongside the tree, clambered up and found the club. At that point, an idea prevailed. “One of the guys thought it would be neat if I played a shot up there,” Eilers said. Naturally, he did, and one of the group caught it on camera. A legend was born. All you juniors, don’t try this at home—or on the course. You’ll be crazy adult golfers soon enough. For now, just stay out of the fescue. Tim Cronin covers golf for the Southtown Star. W W W. C D G A . O R G
{Knees, Shoulders, Hips, Feet, etc.} Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush physicians are known for innovative care in areas ranging from sports medicine, joint replacement, upper and lower extremity reconstruction, and spine surgery to cartilage restoration, pediatric orthopaedics, limb preservation, trauma, and orthopaedic oncology. Pioneering technology and cutting-edge treatment are what makes the orthopaedic program at Rush the Chicago area’s top rated program year after year.* Hip Resurfacing, No-Cast Wrist Fracture Repair, Cartilage Restoration, Minimally Invasive Joint Replacement—procedures all developed in part due to the research and development efforts of Midwest Orthopaedics at
The physicians of Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush
Rush surgeons. It’s no wonder that U.S.News & World Report ranks the orthopaedic program at Rush University Medical Center as
For more information about Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush or to schedule an appointment, visit www.rushortho.com or call 877 MD BONES.
#10 in the nation and the top-ranked program in Illinois.
*Source: 2008 U.S.News & World Report Best Hospitals: Orthopedics
Team Physicians for the Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox
DESTINATION
Minneapolis/St. Paul
In the Twin Cities and elsewhere throughout Minnesota, the golf season is relatively brief but full of passion By Jon Roe
innesota’s golf season isn’t just on the Fourth of July, no matter what you may have heard to the contrary. Most of the time the golf season in Minnesota lasts from the first part of April all the way through Halloween, or maybe even Thanksgiving. This year, in fact, golfers were playing as early as mid-March. No matter when the season starts, golf is a popular activity in Minnesota. The state ranks among the top five nationally for number of golfers per capita. Approximately one in five residents of Minnesota claim to be golfers, according to the National Golf Foundation. Golf is so popular that Minnesota is the only state to have been the site for every one of the 15 national and international championships conducted by the United States Golf Association. Best of all, however, the golf and the golf courses in Minnesota are topnotch without a top-notch price tag that accompanies some popular destinations.
DAY ONE
PHOTO COURTESY KELLER GC
The 13th hole at Keller Golf Club
Start the first day with a choice—a modern-day course designed by Bobby Weed or an old-style layout with lots and lots of history. Stoneridge Golf Club, in the suburbs on the east side of St. Paul, offers a links or prairie look with plenty of challenges and elevation changes. Whether it’s negotiating a tee shot between an old barn and a huge oak tree, or dealing with a lengthy par 4 and par 3 on back-to-back holes, Stoneridge is a picturesque test. In the afternoon, move on to a history book of holes at Keller Golf Club in the northeast suburbs of St. Paul. Keller was the site of the St. Paul Open from 1930 to 1967. The rolling course also was the site for the Patty Berg Open on the LPGA Tour. All the stars of both tours played at Keller: Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Cary C H I C H I C A G O D I S T R I C T G O L F E R | 19
DESTINATION
Minneapolis/St. Paul Middlecoff, Patty Berg, Kathy Whitworth and Beth Daniel. Keller also was where two PGA Championships, 1932 and 1954, were played with Olin Dutra winning the first and Chick Harbert the second. The challenge at Keller is not overpowering length of the holes, but staying inside the elm-lined fairways and hitting the smallish greens. And be sure to stop in the clubhouse, where pictures galore of
all the game’s greats who played at Keller are on display. An 18-hole green fee at Stoneridge is a reasonably priced $79, while at Keller it is a mere $35. WEB: www.stoneridgegc.com www.co.ramsey.mn.us Try to be done before the rush-hour traffic so a 30-minute drive can be made to downtown Minneapolis.
That’s where the spanking new Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins, is located. There is all sorts of ballpark cuisine available from the usual hamburgers and hot dogs to Cuban and other Latin American fare and numerous taverns along the corridors. For visitors who might want to stay in St. Paul for the evening, see a play or listen to musical performances at the Ordway Theatre, then walk across Rice Park to the charming bar at the St. Paul Hotel.
PHOTO BY PETER WONG
DAY TWO
The second hole at The Wilds Golf Club
If variety is the spice of life, the second day of golf in the Twin Cities can offer a lot of options. Start with a morning round at The Legends Golf Club in Prior Lake, about a 30-minute drive south on Interstate 35W from downtown Minneapolis. Designed by local architect Garrett Gill, The Legends is considered by many players to be one of the best daily-fee courses in the Twin Cities. A scenic mixture of ponds and woods framing both parkland and links holes, The Legends has some of the most challenging par 3s in the state. The club has won numerous awards as the best new and suited-for-business course in the nation.
PHOTO COURTESY RUSH CREEK GC
The ninth hole and clubhouse at Rush Creek Golf Club
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DESTINATION
Minneapolis/St. Paul A VISIT TO BURGER HEAVEN If, by chance, a visitor to Minneapolis finds himself with time to kill—here’s one time a golfer might not be opposed to a rain-shortened round—the locals certainly will recommend a visit to Matt’s Bar on Cedar Avenue South. It is home to the Jucy Lucy (yes, it’s spelled without the “i,” which lends credence to its claims of originality), which patrons claim is one of best burgers in the city or the entire Midwest. It’s two burgers sealed together around the edges, which turns the melted cheese between the patties into a hot, bubbly, lucious concoction. In fact, delivery of the Jucy Lucy always comes with more fries than one person can possibly consume— and a warning from your server: Warning, hot cheese ahead.
There are plenty of good choices that are just a short drive away for an afternoon round, and two of them are in nearby Prior Lake: The Wilds or The Meadows. The Wilds, designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Moorish, winds through a wetlands area at the start before a series of holes climb and dive over some large hills. The Meadows is less than 5 years old and is an additional feature of the Mystic Lake Hotel and Casino complex less than a mile from The Wilds. The Meadows also meanders over some hills and through wetlands. For either course, expect to pay about $80. WEB: www.golfthewilds.com www.mysticlakegolf.com When the afternoon round is completed, a trip to the Mystic Lake Casino can add or subtract from the Nassau bets on the golf course. Or a return to downtown Minneapolis can conclude with a stage show at the 22 | C H I C A G O D I S T R I C T G O L F E R
State and Orpheum Theatres on Hennepin Ave. or a late-night refreshment at the Prohibition Bar on the 27th floor of the Foshay Tower, which presents a great view of the town below. DAY THREE
PHOTO COURTESY STONERIDGE GC
An open fireplace in the main clubhouse and a balcony patio are comfortable locations for meals and drinks. The green fee at The Legends is $79. WEB: www.legendsgc.com
The 15th at
One of M-SP’s top StoneRidge public golf facilities is Golf Club Rush Creek in suburban Maple Grove, which is no more than a 30-minute drive from Minneapolis. Rush Creek was designed by two highly respected golf course architects, Bob Cupp and John Fought, and is a pet golf project of the late Duncan MacMillian, whose family founded Cargill, Inc. Rush Creek has been the site of a U.S. Amateur Public Links (2004) and the LPGA Tour’s Samsung World Championships. Built through several wetlands, Rush Creek concludes with a very good par 5 wrapping around wetlands, dominated by eye-high cattails. WEB: www.rushcreek.com An appropriate way to conclude a visit to the Twin Cities is to experience the Mall
of America in suburban Bloomington. The Mall, also known in the Twin Cities as MOA, is the largest covered shopping center in the country. Some odd facts about the place: It has some 500 stores, its own ZIP code (55425) and attracts some 40 million visitors annually, more than Disney World, Graceland and the Grand Canyon combined. Here a visitor can exhaust himself and his wallet, but it’s a good place to do so; it’s only a 5-minute journey to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Jon Roe, who retired in 1999 as a sports writer at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, has covered golf in Minnesota for more than 40 years. W W W. C D G A . O R G
CAREER
DAZE For several name players who have been successful at the District or state levels, a career in golf still is their top priority
By Jim Owczarski
o those who wish to play it professionally, golf is more than a game. It is life itself, played out over 18 holes four days a week. Every stroke given away means money, and on the mini-tours, where there’s already too little cash to go around, that only compounds the pressure to succeed and get to the next level. But that hasn’t deterred many players who, in recent years, enjoyed great success in CDGA or state championships. They’re still fighting the good fight. To others, golf still is an important part of their lives, just not the most important part.
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ROB GRUBE: There are no set formulas to get to the PGA
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Rob Grube
W W W. C D G A . O R G
PHOTO BY JOEL MARTINEZ
Tour and no guarantee of immediate success. It can happen, however, and Hinsdale native and Palo Alto, Calif. resident Rob Grube seemed destined for such a quick start two years ago after turning professional following a stellar career at Stanford University. The four-time All-American received a PGA Tour and three Nationwide Tour sponsor exemptions right out of school and played well. He didn’t expect to earn enough money in those starts to gain status, but he did play well enough to give him confidence heading into his first try at Q-school. Unfortunately, Grube failed to earn any status in 2008. Or 2009. “It was frustrating not to make it the last two years just because it carries so many consequences for the rest of the year,” Grube said. “I played well on the PGA Tour and Nationwide Tour stages so I knew I was good enough to play out there, but then not playing well in Q-school, that was tough.” This year Grube is playing a full Canadian Tour schedule and will mix in some Tar Heel Tour events as well, and his
Brad Marek
BRAD MAREK: Marek, now 26, won the Illinois State
Amateur Championship in 2005. He turned professional in 2008 and realized quickly that while his short game was superb, his overall ball-striking lagged behind his competitors. “My whole amateur career I never really hit the ball that well, in terms of hitting fairways or greens,” he said. “I just J U LY 2 0 1 0
PHOTO BY JIM SIMMONS
game is rounding into form. The 24-year-old won the Canadian Tour’s Riviera Nayarit Classic in Nayarit, Mexico in late April, when he held or shared the lead for all four days. “There were nerves and there always are, but what was a little different about this one is I felt I handled them better,” he said. “Instead of being worried that I had nerves, I went in expecting that there would be nerves and just tried to figure out how to deal with them and hit good shots.” The victory came on the heels of a tie for 10th the week before at the Corona Mazatlan Mexican PGA Championship. “I knew I was playing well,” he said. “And I really liked the course; it fit my eye and I got off to a really hot start, shooting 64-66 the first two rounds. It all kind of came together as it tends to do when you win.” Grube doesn’t anticipate any more sponsor exemptions this season and will give Q-school another shot this fall. He has adjusted to being on the road for 30-plus weeks a year, and he says the pro game has forced him to consistently shoot low scores on the weekend. In college, he could follow up a 65 and a 66 with a 72 and still win. That is not the case as a professional. “Learning how to consistently shoot low rounds when you’re playing well was a skill that I feel like I’m better at now than I was in college, out of necessity,” he said. Until then, he will try to continue to improve on the minitours this summer. Despite some success on golf’s biggest stages, Grube doesn’t focus on what was projected for him coming out of Stanford, but rather what he can do to improve. “You shouldn’t focus on, ‘What’s my status?’ or ‘I should be on the PGA Tour.’ I don’t really get caught up in that,” he said. “I get caught up in, ‘I should be playing at this level,’ and if I feel like if I play golf at that level consistently— obviously there will be ups and downs and not a flat trajectory—if I play well and focus on getting better, then eventually I’ll get where I want to go.”
kind of skated by on having a really good short game and that can get you far in amateur golf, but when you’re playing for money, that will add up to a lot of 10th- (and) 12th-place finishes.” Professional life, and the struggles that come with it, has been what he’s expected, but he does admit it has taken him a bit longer than he anticipated to make it. “You know in the back of your head it could be a longerterm process than you want it to be,” he said. “It’s just taken a little bit longer than I thought to elevate my overall ball striking to the level that it needs to get to for me to be successful and winning events out on tour.” BRIAN CARROLL: Carroll, 26, is in his fourth full-time
season on the NGA Hooters Tour and feels like he is on the verge of contending for his first championship. “I’m not going to go into the season saying I’m looking to win this many times,” he said. “I set goals for myself, but I’m playing to get myself in contention and get that experience playing near the lead and trying to win the tournament.” He is also preparing for another run at PGA Tour Qualifying School in the fall. He made it to the second stage in 2008 and also was a successful Monday qualifier for the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic in Silvis, Ill.. C H I C A G O D I S T R I C T G O L F E R | 25
Brian Carroll
Sainz credits his improvement the last two years to two teachers out of Old Waverly Country Club in Starkville, Miss., P.J. Trolio and Tim Yelverton. “I’m doing nothing but improving at a pretty drastic rate every month because of these two guys,” he said. “It’s been really, really fun.” He also plans on participating in about half a dozen Monday qualifiers as well. This summer, Sainz will be traveling out of his hometown and practicing out of Bull Valley Golf Club in Woodstock. NGA HOOTERS TOUR
While those experiences proved to him he can play at a high level, like Marek, he admitted the road to the PGA Tour has been bumpier than expected. “I thought, coming straight out, that I would do a little bit better right at the start,” he said. “But the talent at this level is so deep. There are so many guys that are jut as good as you are and you have to play well each week. You have to be sharp each week or you’re missing cuts.”
JOE AFFRUNTI: In this, his sixth full season as a professional, the 28-yearold earned full status on the Nationwide Tour through Q-School. “There’s just something that clicks, something that happens at an event or a qualifier and you know that you’re game is good enough to get out there and play out there,” said Affrunti, who won consecutive CDGA Amateur titles in 2000 and ’01.
Carlos Sainz, Jr.
CARLOS SAINZ, JR.: The 23-year-old
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FRANK POLICH/CDGA
Elgin native, who won the CDGA Amateur in 2008, is just beginning his professional odyssey after turning professional in January. He advanced to the second stage of Q-School as an amateur. “I don’t think I was there mentally to get through second stage, but that just comes with time and experience,” he said. “I definitely learned a lot and I’m going to take those experiences with me next time.” Sainz earned full exempt status on the Canadian Tour after making it through its qualifying school. He chose to play the Canadian Tour because of its ties with Nationwide and PGA Tour events north of the border; if he is in the top five on the money list, he is automatically entered into those events. W W W. C D G A . O R G
really well you think so clearly. When you tee it up you’re like, ‘How many under am I going to go today?’ Then you just play. That’s when the game is super fun.” T.C. FORD: It was the summer of 2007, and Ford was
Joe Affrunti
caddieing on the PGA Tour for former Northwestern roommate Tom Johnson. Johnson had hoped to inspire Ford, the 2004 Illinois State Amateur champion, by showing his friend that his game wasn’t that far removed from tour quality. At that point, Ford had experienced moderate success for two years on the Hooters Tour after turning pro near the end of 2004, but rather than inspire him, the loop showed him just how far he had to go. “Unless you’re one of the best in the world, you could be on Tour for a year and then you’re back on Nationwide and you have so much invested that you can’t stop; you have to keep going,” Ford said. “There were a whole lot of factors that led to switching gears.” Halfway through 2007, Ford left the game for a more stable job at Merrill Lynch in his hometown of Mandeville, La., near New Orleans. He didn’t play for two years to focus on his new
That “click” came in 2009, beginning with a Hooters Tour victory in the summer. His game rolling, he Mondayqualified for a Nationwide Tour event and finished in the top 10 the week before Qualifying School. “Right there I realized I could go out there and play with these guys,” he said. “It just happened to be right when I was going in to Q-School.” Riding high, he made it through the first stage. Then he won a Hooters Tour event before the second stage. He won another mini-tour event before the third stage and now finds himself one stop away from the PGA Tour. “My game actually peaked at the end of the year, which in a way, is the only time that really matters,” he said. “It’s tough that Q-School comes around only once a year, but it worked out.” Through the first four months of the 2010 season, Affrunti had made the cut in five of seven Nationwide Tour events and finished inside the top 25 three times. “My game hasn’t changed but, mentally, you convince yourself you’re a great player and you can win every week,” he said. “When you’re playing J U LY 2 0 1 0
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PHOTO BY MIKAELA FORD
career and family—he married his high school sweetheart, Mikaela (who caddied the final 36 holes and three playoff holes of his Illinois State Am victory)—but he picked up the sticks again in 2009 and regained his amateur status later that year. Now 28, he is looking to get back to competition. “My goal is to win the Louisiana State Amateur now to go with my Illinois State Amateur,” he said. “I already have the 2012 (USGA) MidAmateur at Conway Farms on my mirror at home. I need to keep working hard at my business, but that keeps me going. Golf’s a game that no matter what level you are, there are things to conquer and ways to get better.” T.C. Ford
RICH DUKELOW: Dukelow, a former Illinois State Amateur champion and a two-time CDGA Player of the Year, knows what his younger counterparts are going through. The 41-year-old professional at Cantigny Golf in Wheaton turned pro after college in 1991, but by 1994 he realized his
Rich Dukelow
FRANK POLICH/CDGA
game wasn’t going to translate to the tour. He bounced around several jobs before realizing he had to be around the game again, so he regained his amateur status in 1996 and began competing. He did so for eight years before turning pro again in 2004. “I just didn’t know a whole lot,” Dukelow said of his first time around as a professional. “What I know about the game now I didn’t know back then. I don’t think I understood what it took to make it, to be honest with you. I think it’s a little more clear now.” Now he’s eligible to play in the PGA of America’s Professional National Championship, which could get him into the PGA Championship. He also competes across the state in IPGA events. The game still offers the ability to dream, even for a veteran. “I don’t know what the future holds for me in golf,” he said. “If you didn’t have hope in golf, you’d never play again. You’re always hoping the best is yet to come, but it takes hard work. I’m 41, so I have to work extra hard. But I have goals and dreams. I still believe I can do something pretty special playing golf, but who knows when it’ll come or how it’ll come.”
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Jim Owczarski is a sports writer for the Beacon News in Aurora.
W W W. C D G A . O R G
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W E S T E R N A M AT E U R P R E V I E W
History
LESSON
Though the Western Amateur is 108 years old, the site of the 2010 event predates the prestigious championship
By Len Ziehm
L
ast year the Western Golf Association made what some considered to be a rather bold move, pulling its prestigious Western Amateur out of its longtime home at Point O’ Woods in Benton Harbor, Mich., and conducting the 107th staging of the championship at Conway Farms, a relatively new Lake Forest course but one that has established itself as a great tournament site. The move not only ended a 38-year Western Amateur stretch at Point O’ Woods, it also started a stint of at least seven straight years in the Chicago area. This year’s Western Amateur, scheduled for Aug. 2-7, will be played at Skokie Country Club in Glencoe. Skokie, as rich in history as the tournament itself, dates back to 1897, when a group of Chicago businessmen purchased the land with the purpose of building a nine-hole course. The first golf at Skokie was played two years before the first ball was struck in the Western Amateur in 1899 at Glen View Club. Skokie expanded to 18 holes in 1904 and enjoyed its greatest moment in 1922, when Gene Sarazen won the U.S. Open there. Skokie has been an infrequent tournament site since then, but big things have been going on there. The first 18-hole version at the club was designed by Tom Bendelow, whose many creations also included Medinah and Olympia Fields. In 1914 the club brought in another famous architect, Donald Ross, to revamp the layout and his work remained in play until 1938, when William Langford and Theodore Moreau, two of the top architects of that
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era, made some major revisions. In 1999, club members opted to enhance the course’s reputation as a Ross course and brought in Ron Pritchard to update the layout. The well-received finished product will get its most public viewing yet when the Western Amateur is played for the 108th time. Over the years, Skokie was the host club for the 1909 Western Open and the 1998 U.S. Senior Amateur, which was won by Chicago’s own Bill Shean, Jr. Last year, Skokie made an impact in the younger ranks as site of the Windon Memorial, an elite college event hosted by Northwestern University, and the Western Amateur will continue
FACT BOX WHAT:
108th Western Amateur
WHERE:
Skokie Country Club, 500 Washington Ave., Glencoe
WHEN:
Aug. 3-7
SCHEDULE: 18 holes stroke play Tuesday
and Wednesday; 36 holes stroke play Thursday. The top 16 players advance to match play. Two rounds of match play on Friday; semifinals and final matches are scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 7. LAST YEAR: John Hahn defeated Zach
Barlow in the final, 3 and 2. NOTABLE EVENTS AT SKOKIE C.C.: 1909
Western Open, 1922 U.S. Open, 1998 U.S. Senior Amateur W W W. C D G A . O R G
that tradition. “Skokie’s a great golf course and has a wonderful membership with great ties to the Evans Scholars Foundation,” said Vince Pellegrino, who made his debut as the WGA’s tournament director at last year’s Western Amateur. “The tricky thing about the course will be the green complexes and how fast the greens can be.” They’ll present a challenge for 156 players, all invitees for the second straight year. Dropping the qualifying rounds led to last year’s Western Amateur having a field ranked the third-best among
amateur events in the world. This year’s field might be even stronger. “It's important to our membership to give back to the game, and serving as the host site for the Western Amateur is a wonderful way to do that,” said Skokie President Charlie Denison, “and it’s an excellent opportunity for us to showcase our course to the world's top amateurs.” John Hahn, who won last year’s title as a junior at Kent State University, will seek to become the Western’s first repeat champion since PGA Tour mainstay Justin Leonard triumphed in 1992 and
The 12th hole (left) and No. 3 (below) at Skokie Country Club
PHOTOS COURTESY THE WESTERN GOLF ASSOCIATION
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’93. Hahn defeated the University of Illinois’ Zach Barlow, the then reigning Illinois State Amateur champion, in last year’s title match. This time Hahn will have to beat out, among others, Chen-Tsung Pan, last year’s Western Amateur medalist; U.S. Amateur champion Ben An; U.S. MidAmateur winner and Masters tournament participant Nathan Smith; and wellregarded up-and-comer Peter Uihlein. One of golf’s most rigorous tests, the Western Am format calls for 72 holes of stroke play qualifying, and then match play for the top 16 survivors. It takes a great player to win this tournament, as shown by the roster of champions. The tourney’s all-time star was Chick Evans, who won eight times before founding the Evans Scholars Foundation in 1930. Cousins F. Chandler Egan and Walter Egan combined for five titles and four runner-up finishes from 1899-1907. More recent champions include such notable names as Jack Nicklaus (1961), Tom Weiskopf (’63), Andy North (’71), Ben Crenshaw (’73), Curtis Strange (’74), Scott Verplank (’85), Phil Mickelson (’91) and Tiger Woods (’94). Nicklaus, Woods, Crenshaw, Verplank and Weiskopf also went on to win the WGA’s premier event, the Western Open, later in their careers. Over the years, Western Amateur winners have come from 24 states, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Last year’s tournament marked the first time in 52 years the Western Amateur was held in the Chicago area. Prior to Conway Farms, though, the tournament was played at one time or another at Glen View, Onwentsia, Midlothian, Chicago Golf Club, Exmoor, Flossmoor (formerly Homewood), Westmoreland, Hinsdale and Bob O’Link. Skokie marks the second of what is a seven-year run at Chicago-area courses, followed in 2011 by North Shore Country Club, then Exmoor Country Club, the South Course at Olympia Fields Country Club, Beverly Country Club and Rich Harvest Farms. Len Ziehm is a golf writer for the Chicago Sun-Times.
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With our busy schedules making it more difficult to fit in 18 holes, the opportunity to play nine holes is an option gaining in popularity On a recent May morning, Patrick ack when it was decided 18 holes would be the length for a round of golf, they didn’t have such things as corporate meetings, youth soccer organizations or TiVo. Players could take all day.
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Nugent (white shirt) and Mike Nowak, both of Chicago, began their nine holes at 7:52 (left) and were finished an hour and 49 minutes later (above).
PHOTOS BY BUZZ ORR/CDGA
By Ed Sherman
W W W. C D G A . O R G
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The third hole at Pottawatomie Golf Course.
Flash forward to 2010. If golf were invented today and somebody said it would take 4-5 hours to play 18 holes, the likely response might be, “Who has that kind of time? Make it nine.” In this modern age of dwindling free time and finances, the nine-hole option is gaining traction in recreational golf. More and more, players are embracing the notion that half a round of golf is better than no round. Golf course operators also are offering their customers reduced prices to get golfers to at least play nine holes. “I’ve been a proponent for nine holes for years,” said Jim Koppenhaver, president of Buffalo Grove-based Pellucid Corp., a consulting company for golf courses. “When you ask people why they aren’t playing, the No. 1 thing they say is time. I found an old survey from 1988. It said the top reason why people didn’t play was time. Have we not learned anything in 20 years?” Josh Lesnik, the president of KemperSports, says his company, which manages golf courses throughout the country, has observed more public venues adjusting in recent years. “A lot of players at private facilities take advantage of options to play three, six, nine, 12 holes, whatever time allows,” Lesnik said. “Now we’ve seen public courses come up with offers to do something similar, allowing the daily-fee players to fit golf into their schedules.” The biggest beneficiaries have been the operators of ninehole courses; there are more than 25 in the Chicago area. Pottawatomie Golf Course in St. Charles saw an increase of 2,000 rounds in 2009, a huge jump considering the state of 34 | C H I C A G O D I S T R I C T G O L F E R
W W W. C D G A . O R G
The Chicago skyline is always in view at Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course.
the economy. Jim Wheeler, the head professional at Pottawatomie, thinks the course’s relatively low fees are a deciding factor. During most times, players are able to get in nine holes for less than $20. “We’re a good bargain,” Wheeler said. “We’re picking up people because they are changing what they do with their money. Playing 18 holes is not a family option for golf. Here it’s more reasonable for four people to go out and have fun.” Time is a big issue for Jered Weiland. As vice president of operations for Billy Casper Golf, he oversees the operations of the Cook Country Forest Preserve and Chicago Park District courses. With his business demands and a family, spending four or five hours on the golf course rarely is an option. “Over the past few years, I’ve almost exclusively only played nine holes,” Weiland said. “I don’t have the luxury of playing a leisurely round of 18 holes. When you’re not working, it’s hard to go out and play golf. You need to go home and spend special time with the family.” One of Weiland’s courses, Sydney R. Marovitz, a lakefront city track that handles more than 50,000 rounds per year, recently was ranked as the 18th best nine-hole course in the country by Golf World magazine; Pottawatomie placed 15th and Woodstock, a private club, was 19th. Pottawatomie was designed by legendary architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr. in 1939. Playing at just over 3,000 yards, it features Jones’s first island green on the par-4, 345-yard third. J U LY 2 0 1 0
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“There’s a stigma that nine-hole courses are just for young (new) or older players,” Wheeler said. “I try to remind people when they call that, yes, we’re a regulation course. We’ve got a lot of good holes out here.” There are several nine-holers that do cater to beginners. Even then, some take an extra step. Libertyville-based architect Rick Jacobson designed Glenview National 9 with the idea of making it accessible for new players while still providing some challenges for better players. He built multiple tee boxes and other features on the greens. “It’s nice transitional type of facility,” Jacobson said. “We have some double greens and some water. We try to provide something for everyone.” Plenty of traditionalists scoff at the notion of only playing nine holes. If they can’t play 18, they’d rather not play at all. Lesnik, though, is quick to point out the United States Golf Association allows you to post a nine-hole score on your handicap record. So it hardly is a wasted exercise for the serious golfer. And for golfers who just want to have fun and enjoy the game, the half-full glass, nine holes, is a viable option. Ed Sherman is a recently retired golf writer for the Chicago Tribune. He also writes a sports business and weekly golf blog for Crain’s Chicago Business.
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THREE NINE-HOLE WINNERS
POTTAWATOMIE GOLF CLUB, ST. CHARLES The St. Charles Park District course is a treat. For golf buffs, you’ll get to play a layout by legendary architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr. Even if you don’t know much golf history, you’ll appreciate the landscapes along the Fox River. The par-35 course features Jones’s first island green, at the par-4 third. SYDNEY R. MAROVITZ, CHICAGO It’s hard to beat a course that has views of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan. If you’re not careful, you can hit your drive in the lake at the par-5 fifth. The par-35 course is a popular draw, and on the positive side, you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the scenery. DOWNERS GROVE GOLF COURSE In the late 1890s, C.B. Macdonald, one of the pioneers of golf in America, organized the fundraising that permitted the design and construction of the nine-hole Chicago Golf Club. That club later moved to Wheaton, and on the original site is Downers Grove Golf Coruse, which had several owners until the Downers Grove Park District purchased and renamed it in 1968. —Ed Sherman (A full listing of nine-hole courses is available at cdga.org.)
W W W. C D G A . O R G
he Chicago area is home to several hundred golf courses, and as is the case in most large cities, a majority of them are located outside the city limits. For those looking for a course inside the city walls, don’t look much further. The Chicago Park District offers great golf, right in the heart of the city. The courses make up only a small part of the facilities managed by the park district, but they play an important role in Chicago golf. With reduced rates and convenient locations, golf is available to just about anyone. “Municipal golf is huge in Illinois,” said Jered Wieland, the vice president of operations who oversees the courses. “I think Illinois has the highest number of municipal golf facilities owned by park districts, whereas elsewhere the city owns it.”
T
The Chicago Park District courses provide convenient access to golf without ever having to leave the city By Amy Parker
PHOTOS BY BUZZ ORR/CDGA
Sydney R. Marovitz gets the most rounds of the Park District’s courses.
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Diversey Driving Range provides great views of the city.
The Chicago Park District, formed in 1934, is one of the country’s oldest. It consolidated several park commissions and came about as a way to provide outdoor activities, programs and events to a densely populated area. The golf courses, part of the original park commissions or acquired over time, have become an integral part of Chicago’s golf scene. Currently, the Chicago Park District is home to six golf courses, three driving ranges, three learning centers and two miniature golf courses. With more than 500 programs and events a year, the park district includes 7,600 acres, 570 parks, 534 baseball fields, 90 gardens, 10 museums, two conservatories and several other facilities, with the golf courses sitting right on top of prime real estate. And for those who play the game, it’s a huge amenity to be able to play right in the city and not even require the use of a car. “We get a good number of out-of-town folks that go to Jackson Park because it’s the only 18-hole facility,” Wieland said. “They also go to Sydney R. Marovitz because it’s the closest to downtown. Those two places get a lot of what I call 38 | C H I C A G O D I S T R I C T G O L F E R
transient play. The other courses are more like community golf courses. Whoever lives around there plays there because it’s convenient. Either they work near a golf course or live near the course.
There are nice nine-hole tracks that you can stop by on the way home from work and let the traffic die down.” Jackson Park Golf Course was one of the first public golf courses west of the Alleghenies. It opened in 1899 as nine holes in the spot where the driving range is now, and another nine holes were added a year or so later when it moved across the street to its current location. One of the oldest municipal courses in the country, it is home to the Chicago City Amateur, now in its 106th year. “Some of the regulars have been playing here for 20 years,” said Wade Pike, the assistant general manager. “We also get a lot of out-of-town guests. It’s home to the City Amateur, which has been played here every year except for a few. It wasn’t much of a big deal in the ’90s, but it’s making a comeback.” Another popular course is Sydney R. Marovitz, which was slated to be an 18-hole course. Opened in the early 1930s and originally called Waveland Golf Course, it was renamed in 1991. The other nine never was added, but the course rings up the highest number of rounds in the park district and provides beautiful views of Lake Michigan and the famed Chicago skyline. “Sydney R. Marovitz along Lake Michigan, as well as South Shore, are both great golf courses with holes that play along the shore and have a view of the city,” Wieland said. “You just can’t get a view like that anywhere.” South Shore Golf Course, which originally was a private club, is known by its regular patrons as one of the city’s best-kept secrets, and certainly it is one of Chicago’s prettiest places to play. It opened in 1906 and was acquired by the park district in 1974 after the club went out of business in the early ’70s. Another popular course is Marquette W W W. C D G A . O R G
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SHE’S A STANDOUT IN ONE RATHER OBVIOUS WAY,, Valerie Lawrence is not a typical superintendent. For starters, she is part of a small group of female superintendents—estimated to be less than 1 percent—in the entire country. She might not be an avid player, but being outside and working on the course is what she loves most—besides her sidekick, a loyal golden retreiver named Abby, who never strays from her side. Lawrence grew up in Pinckney, Mich., and when she still was a teenager, wanted a job working outside, so she got hired at a golf course doing maintenance as a crew member. “I didn’t know anything about golf,” Lawrence said. “I didn’t know anything from a green to a tee to a fairway, but I got hired (in Michigan) and ended up liking the job very much. My boss saw how much passion I had for it and he encouraged me to go to school.” Lawrence had never heard of turfgrass management, but her boss introduced her to it and she ended up getting accepted to a two-year program at Michigan State University, one of the top programs in the country. After her first year of school, she did an internship at a private club on Long Island, then finished up her second year, graduated and headed to the East Coast, where she spent the next eight years working mostly at private clubs. She eventually made her way to Chicago, where currently she is one of three superintendents overseeing the Chicago Park District golf courses. Lawrence manages Columbus Park Golf Course, Marquette Park Golf Course and Douglas Park Golf Course. She typically spends part of her day at one course and the rest of the day at another, assigning jobs and making sure tasks are being completed on schedule. “As far as course conditions, we just want to keep making improvements,” Lawrence said. “Renovating the bunkers and working on the drainage and irrigation systems are all part of the plan. Over the years, we’re going to be getting all these things taken care of.” As for being a woman in a male-dominated industry? “I guess I just go about my day and I don’t really think about it,” she said. “I just do my job and don’t think about being a female in the business. I look at it like I’m doing my job on the golf course. “I love my job. That’s pretty much it. I love being out on the course every day. Today I was out there teaching a guy how to hand-water the greens and I was like, this is what it’s all about—just being outside.’ ”
— Amy Parker
Park, which has a great practice facility. It was opened in 1917 and is the only course in the park district where players can hit range balls off grass. It also is one of the more challenging in the bunch. Columbus Park is a links-style course located just off I-290 on the west side of the city that opened in the early 1920s. It's a perfect place for afternoon commuters who want to get in some golf while the traffic on the constructionladen Eisenhower thins out. Robert A. Black, formerly a private course, is the newest park district course; it was acquired after controversy over land disputes in the late 1970s and 40 | C H I C A G O D I S T R I C T G O L F E R
was renamed in 1980. Before being taken over by the park district, it was 18 holes and called Edgewater Golf Club. The other nine was turned into open spaces for sports fields. Edgewater is historic in another sense. Chick Evans Jr., one of the game's legendary figures, caddied and learned the game there, lived nearby and, in an era when players were listed by club instead of hometown, called Edgewater his home club for decades. He played his last round there in October 1968. Despite the majority of the courses being nine holes only, those who come out to play are both avid golfers and
beginners, who tend to be somewhat intimated when thrown into the mix of avid players at 18-hole facilities. “It’s a pretty good mix,” Wieland said. “We get the run of the gamut, basically. It’s an avid golfer whose office is near the club—they’re just not going to have time to go to their home club to stop and play—and those just learning the game. So, you’ve got one extreme with the avid golfer and the other extreme with the person who has never played before and only wants to spend 10 bucks to try it. That’s what they’re going to do is get out to the local course and give it a try.” W W W. C D G A . O R G
During a time when the numbers of rounds are dropping due to the economy, the numbers at the park district courses were increasing. “We’ve noticed that last year, especially,” Wieland said. “This year it’s a little too early to say, but we didn’t see rounds drop off at any of the clubs. At the Chicago Park District they were up significantly from last year compared to what a lot of other course operators were experiencing. Our courses that have been open for some time were pretty stable as far as rounds of golf.” Players compensated by not spending as much on food or at the golf shop. They were still playing, but it seemed as though they skipped on a bucket of practice balls or a quick bite to eat. The park district saw some 139,000 rounds played at its facilities in 2008, and that number jumped up to 180,000 in 2009. This year, the goal is 200,000. Operating under a third party management agreement, Billy Casper Golf, which took over in January 2009, is focusing on course conditions, committing $5.5 million in improvements over the next 15 years. “Everything we do is basically with the park district in mind,” Wieland said. “They are committed as to how they want their facilities run and they want to have the best golf courses in the
Some Chicago Park District courses provide a true urban environment.
country, so that’s our goal: to meet their goal.” As part of the changes, a new logo was created, the Web site was revamped, and work is being done to have the courses properly marked and identified, as some are difficult to locate. Other improvements in progress are new irrigation systems, renovated tee boxes, bunkers and drainage systems. “There’s still a lot of projects we’re currently working on,” Wieland said. “The park district made it clear they want the courses to be the best going up from where they were to where they are now. There’s pretty much something to be renovated at every course.” With multiple projects in progress, the results are starting to be visible and
there are high expectations for the number of rounds to increase again this year as players are noticing the improvements. “There’s better service and course conditions, so between that and the capital investments going on, it’s a great start,” he added. The value and convenience can’t be beat—that’s for sure.
MORE CHOICES IN THE CITY The Chicago Park District facilities aren’t the only choices for golf inside the city limits. Here are some others:
Billy Caldwell Golf Course: Located on the north side, this nine-hole layout is just off the Edens Expressway. Measuring just over 3,000 yards from the tips, the par-35 course offers night golf every Friday. Edgebrook Golf Course: A short drive off both the Kennedy and Edens, Edgebrook is a par66, 4,567-yard course that cuts
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through the heart of Chicago’s Northern Forest Preserve District. The Chicago River and mature trees serve as a backdrop throughout the site.
Harborside International Golf Center: Harborside is the largest course in the city— both in terms of number of holes and distance. It’s pair of 18s (Portside and Starboard courses) can play as short as 5,110 yards but can be stretched over 7,000 for players looking for a challenge. The
links-style course is located just off the Bishop Ford Expressway, less than 20 minutes from the Loop.
Indian Boundary Golf Course: Easily accessible from the Kennedy, Tri-State and Eisenhower, Indian Boundary stretches to 6,068 yards from the back tees. Sitting in a heavily wooded area, this Dick Nugent design will challenge players to place shots to avoid the trees as well as strategically placed water ha zards and bunkers.
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GEMS OF THE CDGA
The second at Cantigny Golf (Woodside nine) Wheaton Ill. he late Clayton Kirkpatrick—“Kirk” he preferred being called—was the father of Cantigny. The former editor of the Chicago Tribune and Tribune Company president was the force behind turning the virgin land on the estate of Col. Robert R. McCormick into a wonderful 27-hole public golf course. His favorite hole was the par-5 second on the Woodside nine. He was particularly pleased with the creek that runs along the right side before it traverses the fairway and wraps around the green. Kirk, who died in 2004, always pointed out that pumps kept the stream roaring toward the green. “He loved that hole,” said Cantigny general manager Mike Nass, who was the first superintendent when Cantigny opened in 1989. The hole is a thinking man’s two-shot par-5 because of the creek. A player must carefully plot each shot. The fairway has nasty mounds scattered about, which affect second and third shots. Players in the 2008 Illinois State Amateur averaged 5.2 strokes in the event. The key is placing the tee shot in the fairway and then making an intelligent second shot. A player can play short of the creek and set up a short iron, or take a chance on reaching the peninsula of flat fairway over the water. “It can be a pretty frustrating hole,” Nass said. “It’s always one of our difficult holes. A lot of guys say, ‘It wouldn’t be so bad if I was warmed up.’ It comes at you right away and the third hole (a 227-yard par 3) isn’t easy.”
T
—Reid Hanley
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PAR 5 YARDS
TEE
553 Championship 521
Blue
509
White
474
Red
PHOTO/BUZZ ORR
RULES OF THE GAME By Genger Fahleson | Director, Rules Education, USGA
What’s the game today? For a variety of reasons, the choice should be match play or stroke play, but not both n an attempt to keep things fun and interesting, those who organize golf leagues, outings or the friendly Saturday morning round with friends often attempt to combine match play and stroke play formats. A lot of players probably can remember receiving directions along the lines of, “Play your match but keep a card for the stroke-play competition.” Such attempts should be nipped in the bud before anyone ever gets to the first tee. As Rule 33-1 says, “Certain specific Rules governing stroke play are so substantially different from those governing match play that combining the two forms of play is not practicable and is not permitted.” What are those substantial differences? First, the scoring for the two forms of play are very different, as are the general penalties for the breach of a Rule. A match consists of one side playing against another side; no other player is involved. In match play the game is played by holes and a hole is won by the side that holes its ball in the fewest strokes. If a player breaches a Rule in match play, the general penalty is a loss of hole; that player is done and simply goes to the next tee. A stroke-play competition consists of players completing each hole of a stipulated round or rounds and, for each round, returning a scorecard on which there is a gross score for each hole. Each person is playing against every other competitor in the competition. In stroke play, if a competitor breaches a Rule, the general penalty is
I
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two strokes, but he has to keep playing and must hole out. An irresolvable conflict between the forms of play could occur even before the players leave the first tee. If a player in match play starts play of the hole from outside the teeing ground, the opponent may let that stroke stand or the opponent may recall it (Rule 11-4a). But in stroke play, if a competitor, when starting a hole, plays a ball from outside the teeing ground, he incurs a penalty of two strokes and must start play of the hole from within the teeing ground (Rule 11-4b). There are other incidents in match play where a player is given the opportunity to recall an opponent’s stroke. If
a player plays out of order in match play, the opponent may let the stroke stand or it may be recalled by the opponent (Rule 101c). But in stroke play, there is no provision to recall the stroke and no penalty unless the competitors agreed to play out of order to give one of them an advantage (Rule 10-2c). If a competitor in stroke play did replay a stroke made out of order, he would be proceeding under penalty of stroke and distance (Rule 27-1a). When a player’s ball is accidentally deflected or stopped by an opponent in match play, the player may continue play from where the ball came to rest after the deflection or cancel the stroke and play a ball, without penalty, as near as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played. But in stroke play, if a ball is accidentally deflected or stopped by a fellow competitor, no penalty is incurred by anyone and the ball must be played from where it came to rest after the deflection. There is no way to resolve this difference if trying to combine the two forms of play. A unique feature in match play is the opportunity to concede a stroke, hole or the entire match. In stroke play, a player is disqualified if he fails to hole out and does not correct the mistake. Thus, the differences between match play and stroke play are substantial. The game is either match play or stroke play; you cannot play both at the same time. W W W. C D G A . O R G
CHAMPIONSHIP
THE AWAITS
AUGUST 9 – 15 KOHLER, WISCONSIN KIDS FREE For tickets, visit PGA 2010.com or call 800-PGA-GOLF.