The North Shore Weekend, April 1st, 2023

“Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.”

- Roger Crawford

Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan brings his NWA professional wrestling venture to Highland Park with a series of events April 6 to 8. pg8

“In our opinion there are not enough superlatives to adequately describe our experience using Cory Albiani as our REALTOR®...As a couple who have bought/sold homes at least 10 times, that is saying a lot! He had the perfect combination of being patient with us while also keeping us updated as we searched for ‘just the right place’. His professionalism, communication and negotiation skills resulted in us finding the perfect place, and he continues to be a wonderful resource for all things in the area. We would give him TEN stars if we could!”

-Bush Family, Ravinia

RAVINIA

UPTOWN

632 BURTON AVENUE, HIGHLAND PARK $550,000 | ATTACHED GARAGE, NEW KITCHEN & BATHS, COOL MID-CENTURY FEEL | 3 BED | 1.1 BATH

RAVINIA

848 BURTON AVENUE, HIGHLAND PARK $399,000 | GREAT RAVINIA RANCH | 2 + 2 BED | 2 BATH NEW

LAKE BLUFF

SOLD

10 boots to business

Thanks to bipartisan legislation, a new program aims to help veterans become entrepreneurs

11 jazz jamboree

Bravo Waukegan brings back its annual Jazz Luncheon on April 23

LIFESTYLE & ARTS

12 moving on Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin reunite for a new dark comedy

14 #hashtag

New Trier High School senior Ava Summers prepares for "Walking on a Dream"

15 charm school

Save the date for a book signing, keynote lecture, and luncheon at Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens

16 north shore foodie

This delish mac and cheese alternative uses cauliflower, bacon, and pepperjack gratin

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

18 sunday breakfast

DiscoverGolf founder Richard Franklin driven to get young golfers hooked on golf—and life

John Conatser FOUNDER & PUBLISHER

ADVERTISING @NSWEEKEND.COM

Jennifer Sturgeon

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Michelle Crowe, Dustin O'Regan, Kemmie Ryan, Sherry Thomas, Megan Weisberg

FASHION EDITOR

Theresa DeMaria

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Mitch Hurst, Kayte Korwitts, Bill McLean, Rex Reed

DESIGN

Linda Lewis PRODUCTION MANAGER/GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Chris Geimer ADVERTISING COORDINATOR/GRAPHIC DESIGNER

PHOTOGRAPHY AND ART

Monica Kass Rogers

PHOTOGRAPHY

Tom Bachtell, Barry Blitt

ILLUSTRATION

Cheyanne Lencioni ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

BY MITCH HIURST THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Five years ago, musician, businessman, and Highland Park resident Billy Corgan purchased the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the oldest professional wrestling body in the world. Founded in 1948, NWA was once the largest and most successful professional wrestling entity in the country, but by the time Corgan came on the scene, it had slipped into irrelevance.

Against significant odds, Corgan resurrected the NWA and now holds wrestling events around the country and the world, most recently last month in Mexico City. For the first time, he will be bringing about 60 wrestlers to the Chicago area—Highland Park specifically—for four events the weekend of April 6 to 8.

“I say this humbly, very few people thought that was possible. With NWA I bought a distressed brand that's the oldest brand in all of professional wrestling in the world,” Corgan says. “Everybody said, ‘Why are you buying this brand that nobody cares about anymore?

“For us, bringing cultural events to our community is our goal. And the more we can give back, the better,” Mendel says. “So, we are thrilled to have a partner to help us give more to those in need.”

Corgan says during discussions with Highland Park city officials, Mendel felt strongly that she wanted to use the event as another opportunity to donate to the community foundation.

“We've talked for a long time about having some kind of book signings with our wrestling talents and we thought since everybody's coming to town, let's do it,” he says. “When I proposed it to Chloé that

something because the `90s were pretty crazy. We have four businesses in the house, so the good part is we're busy and we're busy doing what we love,” he says. “The difficult part is sometimes our conversations are not about what we're going to have for dinner, but about business.”

Corgan says coming out of the pandemic, he and Mendel made the decision to live their lives more urgently.

“It's sort of like if you're going to do stuff, don't wait for tomorrow because we're not sure what tomorrow can bring,” he says. And I think [the July 4th shooting] is something that's impacted all of us. There's no guarantee what tomorrow brings, so if you're passionate about something, you’ve got to fall into it.”

the businesses, they have a community aspect as well where you’re meeting people,” says Corgan.

Regarding the Pumpkins, he says that like many other big bands, they hit some rough spots and then the industry started to assume that their best days were behind them.

“You start getting treated, particularly in the music business, like you're not in this category anymore; you’re in that category. They use nice words like ‘heritage’, which is a nice way of saying, ‘You know, you ain't so young anymore kid’,” he says. “Tomorrow is my 56th birthday, and age in the entertainment business is something that's always sort of omnipresent. But we rebuilt the brand back up to an international prominence and we're having some of the biggest success we've had in 20 years.”

Corgan says that despite his success with NWA and the resurgence of the Smashing Pumpkins (and traveling the globe with both), it is Highland Park that undeniably remains home.

“When you look at myself and Chloé, we say, ‘Let's keep it local in Highland Park’. We've built up a reputation that we live here, and we care, and it extends to how we run our business, how we interact with the community, and what we lean into and contribute to.”

In the five years since Corgan purchased NWA, he’s never brought wrestlers to Chicago. He could’ve found bigger venues in the city, but he wanted to bring professional wrestling to his adopted home city.

Its best days are in the past?’. I brought it back to international prominence.”

The weekend events include a VIP book signing on April 6 at Madame Zuzu’s with two of NWA’s well-known wrestlers, Tyrus and Madusa, and three wrestling shows over the course of April 7 and 8 at Studio One in Highland Park. Limited tickets remain for the book signing and the wrestling shows are available via Pay Per View.

Last summer, Corgan and Mendel hosted a live music benefit at Madame Zuzu’s, which the two co-own, for the Highland Park Community Foundation’s fund to benefit families that were impacted by the July 4th Parade shooting. The event raised more than $250,000.

Thanks to a generous sponsorship from Autohaus Automotive, Inc. and Moonstone Asset Management, located in Highland Park, a portion of the proceeds from the book signing and the wrestling shows will be donated to the fund.

we have the book signing the night before the first wrestling event, she said she wanted to use the proceeds to support the fund because that's something that's really important to her.”

To say Corgan and Mendel currently lead busy lives would be an immense understatement. There’s NWA, Corgan’s band the Smashing Pumpkins, Madame Zuzu’s, and Mendel’s luxury clothing design brand, Maison Atia. Plus, there’s two young children to raise and care for.

“Probably the last year or so has been the busiest year of my life and that's saying

Corgan has often talked about his passion for Highland Park and his love for the community he and Mendel and their family call home. It’s evident in his charitable work and is also what drives his approach to business.

“Our sense is that we're working towards something that's meaningful to us, and with all

“This is the first time I'm bringing wrestling—this huge international endeavor—here and I was like, ‘I want to do it in Highland Park’. Everybody in my world was like, ‘Why Highland Park, why not downtown Chicago?’” Corgan says. “I said, ‘I'm committed to putting smiles on people's faces’. We can literally change the world if we want to. Now, can we change the world with one wrestling show? No, but we can have a lot of fun.”

For more information on the book signing event visit madamezuzus.com. To purchase PPV tickets for the wrestling shows, visit nationalwrestlingalliance.com.

Billy Corgan is bringing more than 60 wrestlers to Highland Park for a weekend of NWA professional wrestling events April 6 to 8.

Boots To Business

U.S. Representatives Brad Schneider (IL-10), Roger Williams (TX-25), Morgan McGarvey (KY-03), and Jake Ellzey (TX-6) announced the introduction of bipartisan legislation to statutorily authorize an innovative new Boots to Business (B2B) program to help transitioning service members to start and grow businesses.

Administered through the Office of Veteran Business Development in the Small Business Administration (SBA), the B2B program offers transitioning service members and military spouses a foundational two-day, in-person course for an introduction to business ownership which can be followed by optional online courses on topics including market research, business fundamentals, and revenue readiness.

The Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act of 2023 would authorize this program for five years.

"Our veterans served our country with honor, and they deserve our support as they transition from military to civilian life," says Congressman Schneider. "Many of the leadership, problem solving, and communications skills learned in the armed forces translate well to entrepreneurial and business success. The Boots to Business program does crucial work

helping veterans start and grow businesses, and I'm proud to work with colleagues from both sides of the aisle to ensure this program can continue serving veterans in our communities."

“After dedicating their lives to protect the freedom of all Americans, it is critical we give our veterans the tools and resources to be successful when transitioning to civilian life,” adds Chairman Williams. “Veterans are natural leaders with the dedication necessary to thrive in the private sector with the right training. I am proud to have had the opportunity to work with my colleagues on this bipartisan legislation to improve the Boots to Business program.”

As a member of both the House Small Business and Veterans Affairs committees, I’m proud to support this bipartisan effort to authorize the Small Business Administration’s successful Boots to Business Program,” says Congressman McGarvey.

“Members of the military and their spouses have the entrepreneurial spirit and skills necessary to become successful business owners, and this program provides critical help in unlocking their potential. Boots to Business plays a crucial role in the warm handoff from military to civilian life, and I look forward to its continued success for years to come. I’m committed to

working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to expand economic opportunities for our veterans and their families.”

“The military does great at training our service members to do their jobs,” says Congressman Ellzey. “They train them to be the most lethal force on the planet. To defend and

protect the people of the United States. What they do not do, is effectively train them to be civilians. The Boots to Business program will help to fill that gap. This program will help our veterans translate the skills they acquired during their years of service to be tools needed to be successful in civilian life.”

JAZZ JAMBOREE

Bravo Waukegan will host its annual Jazz Luncheon benefit on April 23 to support its mission to help underserved children learn to play music.

BY MITCH HURST THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Bravo Waukegan will once again hold its annual benefit Jazz Luncheon at Deer Path Inn in Lake Forest on April 23. The event raises much-needed support for the organization, whose mission is to support after school music education and promote student performance opportunities.

The afternoon event will feature a multicourse menu and beverages, as well as live musical performances by Waukegan Mariachi students and a professional jazz quartet. Guests will experience viewing a new video showcasing inspired Waukegan music students and alumni talking about how playing music transformed their lives.

Over the years, Bravo has donated more than 2,000 instruments and today serves more than 7,000 students annually. Bravo programs include, among others, a summer music camp—Bravo Buddies, Mariachi Band after school music enrichment, “Raise the Bar” a

music mentorship program through NPR, and the Waukegan JROTC drum and bugle corps.

Michael Rodriguez is a volunteer teacher at Bravo Waukegan teaching the trumpet and other brass instruments. He grew up in Waukegan, went to Waukegan High School, and is now a graduate student at the University of Illinois studying music education. He says teaching at Bravo Waukegan keeps him connected.

“I really do love working with my community. I feel like the kids have so much to bring musically. Waukegan is a low-income community and Bravo actually gives them the opportunity to take private lessons, which typically would be very expensive,” Rodriguez says. “Bravo provides these lessons at such a low cost, so for me it's so cool seeing these kids who otherwise would not have been able to afford lessons just shine because that one barrier is removed.”

He says watching the kids learn and grow and become more musically proficient is one of the best parts about being involved with Bravo.

“It's so exciting and it's so visible on their faces when [the students] are able to get

through a really difficult passage. They break their own barriers and meet their own goals, and it's awesome,” he says. “I actually recently saw one of my old students and he's turning into such an amazing adult. He's applying to colleges and he’s getting scholarship offers. I really think Bravo is setting up these students early to reach their goals in life.”

In addition to its teaching programs, Bravo maintains strong partnerships with the CSO, Ravinia Festival, WFMT classic radio’s Bach to School, Chicago Civic Orchestra, Northbrook Symphony Orchestra, and others. The organization serves as a line to these cultural institutions.

Bravo board president and Barrington resident Glen Roberts doesn’t have a formal musical background (although he’s a big classic rock fan) but he met Bravo Waukegan’s executive director Karey Walker at a volunteer jobs fair in Lake County and was impressed with organization’s mission and work.

“There were three things that I found compelling in learning about the mission of Bravo. One is what it's doing for the community and the students. The second is they needed some

strategic planning and structure with the board and organization, and that fit well with my background,” Roberts says. “The third is Karey herself, her presence, and how she spoke about the organization.”

Roberts says the Jazz Luncheon on April 23 will be something of a return to normal after the long COVID-19 hiatus, and he’s looking forward to seeing and connecting with current supporters of Bravo and hopefully adding some new ones.

“We expect it to be a real celebration of having everybody together to join in and enjoy each other's company. It's one of our two or three large events,” he says. “We've put together a program that's going be interesting with a high-quality jazz band and nice touches along the way. We think it's such a compelling mission and there are a lot of people out there and we are looking for different ways to try to connect to them and get them involved with us.”

The Bravo Waukegan Jazz Luncheon will take place on Sunday, April 23, from noon to 2 p.m. at Deer Path Inn in Lake Forest. Tickets are $95 and available at bravowaukegan.org.

MOVING ON

Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are back together again for a dark comedy that showcases talents we’ve all loved for decades.

RUNNING TIME: 1 hour, 25 minutes

RATING: 3 stars

BY REX REED THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

The third feature-length chapter in the Jane Fonda-Lily Tomlin franchise (excluding their TV comedy series, Grace and Frankie) is called Moving On

Because it is directed and written by Paul Weitz, a more organized and humane artist than the oafs they usually choose, it is more memorable than the usual farces they've concocted in the past—maybe not as fresh and appealing as 9 to 5, but less imaginatively bankrupt than the abysmal 80 for Brady. It just sort of lies there in the middle of a sandwich, like day-old tuna. But the chemistry between two icons is irresistible.

This time the girls play two lifelong gal pals who reunite in California for the funeral of a beloved mutual third best friend. After the sad farewells, Claire (Fonda) confides in her friend Evvie (Tomlin) at the reception that her trip to Los Angeles has a dual purpose. In addition to honoring the memory of her old college buddy Joyce, she plans to murder Joyce's husband Howard (welcome back, newly rotund but still lively Malcolm McDowell).

After 51 years, during which Claire kept her hatred of Howard hidden for fear of upsetting Joyce, the time has come to free herself of the memory of that fateful night when Howard raped her.

Evvie is shocked, but in a moment of candor, she confesses an even better reason of her own for getting even with Howard—in front of her deceased friend's husband, friends, and grandchildren she announces she and Joyce were passionate lovers and Howard broke up the affair, causing Evvie a lifetime of resentment and rage.

After so many decades, Claire and Evvie decide to pool resources, become partners in crime, and eliminate the old bas-

tard for good. The rest of the movie is about the many aborted ways they try to do it and fail. In the process, Claire rediscovers her affection for the ex-husband (Richard Roundtree, who used to play Shaft) she dumped because her parents disapproved of her marriage to a black man, Evvie comes to terms with her unfulfilled life as a lesbian cellist, and everyone benefits from the self-fulfilling satisfaction of sweet revenge before moving on.

Much of Moving On defies logic when you hold the plot up to the light for anything resembling close analysis, but the focus shifts from black humor (Claire, ignorantly shopping for firearms) to moments of tenderness (Evvie's kindness and compassion for a neglected child who comes to visit the retirement home where she lives) and two stars have forgotten nothing about captivating an audience with their skill and craft.

I love the way they thrust and parry, upstaging each other without malice while they prove the value of growing old gracefully. They've had so much unnecessary plastic surgery that their faces border on the unrecognizable.

Her old trademark wry humor has left Lily Tomlin's expressions, and an ugly white wig and horn-rimmed glasses make Jane Fonda look twice as old as she is, but who cares? They've forgotten more about comedy than most actors will ever learn, and languishing in their rapport is a luxury.

The film moves too slowly to be consistently funny, but it lacks the dumb sight gags and labored one-liners that bog most alleged comedies down in padding.

Not a great film but Moving On is a pleasurable enough way to kill an hour and a half without regret.

Illustration by Tom Bachtell

Famed film critic Rex Reed weighs in on Moving On.

EDITED BY DUSTIN O'REGAN ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL

New Trier High School senior AVA SUMMERS is excited to join fellow seniors and co-chairs for this month’s Rush Junior Board 2023 Fashion Show, “Walking on a Dream.” Held from 3 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 23, at Sunset Ridge Country Club in Northfield, this is the third special event of the year hosted by the 100-member Rush Junior Board—following the Annual Car Wash and Holiday Tea. Last year, the Rush Junior Board raised more than $100,000 for Rush University Medical Center. Parent Advisors Erin Donaldson and Sara McClain have led the show since the beginning and, according to Summers, “have turned our new creative ideas into a reality.” Fashions from local retailers, including LuxLab, Bunny and Babe, Elena Victoria, and Gigi’s Closette will be modeled by members of the Rush Junior Board, with other members leading the production and event planning. New this year is a fantastic new venue, designed to deliver an elevated, dynamic event all for a great cause. In honor of the event, we asked Summers to share some of her favorite trending books and media in this week’s edition of #hashtag.

To purchase tickets to the event, email Erin Donaldson at davidanderindonaldson@yahoo.com.

#ON MY NIGHTSTAND

Most nights before bed I will finish up work on my computer either for the Rush Junior Board or school, although on the nights I do not, I will read Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. It is by far the most fascinating book I’ve read for class this year and I find myself thinking about the ideas it proposes long after I put the piece down. It pushes the reader to “find significance in the very act of living” and explains and analyzes the complexity of one’s motivation to find meaning in life. The author articulates that this meaning can change, though will never cease to exist. When reading, one of his arguments stood out to me the most—“One can never be stripped of the power to decide, and therefore even in suffering, one must decide to create meaning out of the pain.” I will continue to be drawn back to this book and its rationale for years to come.

#ON MY MOBILE

My phone is even more important to me than my computer when it comes to working on the fashion show. Communication is key, and constant messaging back and forth between executives, parent advisors, and committees is crucial for making progress. It takes a gritty and driven team to make each fundraiser as successful as possible and I am so grateful for the hard work of our team—Caroline Kinsella and Kate Baur, as well as Parent Advisors Erin Donaldson, Sara McClain, Holly Miller, and Anissa Forman, along with all of our RJB members. They have worked tirelessly to execute each event and I am so honored to work alongside them. Because our team is so close, our group chats are always active, so my phone is practically glued to my side.

MY EARBUDS

The fashion show chairs, Kate, Caroline, and I decided to create a playlist this year for the girls to walk to during the fashion show instead of instrumental background music. Because of this, I have been listening to music day and night, trying to find songs that would engage our audience and could fit our theme. Our current favorites are “The Thrill,” “Take a Walk,” and “Midnight City.” Some artists that are my personal favorites but might not be featured on our playlist are Mac Miller, Mac Demarco, Tame Impala, and The Smiths.

#IN

CHARM SCHOOL

Design writer and author Emma Bazilian will be in Lake Forest May 8 for a lecture, book signing, and luncheon at the 2023 Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens.

EDITED BY KAYTE KORWITTS THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Nationally renowned designers Timothy Whealan and Ashley Whittaker, honorary chairs of this year’s Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens, will join author Emma Bazilian on May 8 for a lecture and signing of her latest tome—Charm School: The Schumacher Guide to Traditional Decorating for Today

From cozy canopied bedrooms to treasured personal heirlooms and antique furniture, the book dives deep into old-school interior decorating techniques that are making a comeback in a fresh, new way.

Chapters are filled with timeless spaces by designers such as Markham Roberts, Celerie Kemble, and Rita Konig, as well as looks back at the work of legendary talents like Sister Parish and Mario Buatta who continue to inspire today. Whittaker’s work is also featured, which she is expected to speak about at the lecture.

The May 8 event will also include a luncheon catered by The Lunchroom at Space 519

and a tour of the showhouse, which opens to visitors on May 6 and will be open seven days a week through June 4. Tickets to the May 8 event are $150 and include a signed copy of Charm School, with

proceeds benefitting the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago.

Located near one of Lake Forest Open Lands’ largest and oldest nature preserves, the nineacre estate being transformed for the Lake Forest Chapter of the Infant Welfare Society’s 2023 show house will feature more than 35 of the nation’s most prominent landscape and interior designers. The property’s red brick Georgianstyle home—designed in the late 1960s by architect William Frazier—will be reimagined inside and out.

Bringing in the co-author of Charm School for this year’s keynote lecture and luncheon is proving to be the perfect pairing.

Published by Schumacher Books, a division of FSCO Media, and Monacelli, a Phaidon Company, the book is a collaboration between Bazilian, FSCO Media’s Content Director, and Art Director Stephanie Diaz. Each room featured illustrates the successful ways that today’s interior designers are melding an appreciation for the past with an eye towards the future.

“Publishing with Schumacher adds tremen-

dous breadth to Monacelli’s existing interior design list, and we are delighted to partner with such an established and creative leader in the design space,” says Philip Ruppel, COO of Monacelli.

Timur Yumusaklar, CEO of F. Schumacher & Co., the parent company of FSCO Media, says the book is part of its commitment to inspire the design community and to champion interior designers.

Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens honorary co-chairs Whittaker and Whealan have been friends since early in their careers. They share a love of antiques and the artful mix of the high and the low. Together they have embarked on many shopping excursions filled with an abundance of laughter and fun.

Hear more about their friendship, shared passion for design, and anecdotes from their travels as they join Bazilian at the May 8 event.

Tickets for the May 8 Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens keynote lecture, luncheon, and book signing are $150, which includes a signed copy of the book. For more information about participating designers and show hours, visit lakeforestshowhouse.com.

Emma Bazilian

CAULIFLOWER, BACON + PEPPERJACK GRATIN

BY MONICA KASS ROGERS THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Step aside, mac and cheese! This saucy cauliflower bake—with bacon, onion, and pepper jack cheese under a crisp crumb topping—is vegetal-ly better. Quite literally edible flowers, heads of cauliflower are the mildest-flavored members of the cruciferous vegetable family.

Yes, bacon, cheese, mustard-cream, and Panko makes this comfort food—but with vegetal benefits. Like its more aggressive sibs, cauliflower is full of antioxidants, essential vitamins and minerals, anti-inflammatory compounds, fiber and more.

To make the gratin, you’ll simmer the cauli-florets with bacon and onion in chicken stock and milk, make the sauce, top with panko, and bake until bubbly. We like to serve the gratin with freshly sliced tomatoes and steamed green beans, but it works well as a side for roast chicken. If you have any leftovers, the gratin keeps well for secondday service.

Serving 8

INGREDIENTS

• One large or two small cauliflower heads, washed, trimmed, and broken into small pieces to make at least 6 cups of florets

• 3 slices good quality bacon, medium dice

• 1 small white or yellow onion, peeled and chopped

• 1 cup chicken stock

• 2 cups whole milk

• ½ tsp. salt

• ½ tsp finely ground black pepper

• ¾ of a stick salted butter

• 6 Tbsp all-purpose flour

• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

• 1 ½ cups freshly shredded pepper jack cheese OR sharp white cheddar cheese

• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large soup pot over medium heat, combine cauliflower florets, bacon, onion, chicken stock, milk, salt, and pepper. Simmer until just tender. Remove from heat and pour through a colander, saving the liquid. Set cauliflower/onion/bacon aside, keeping the chicken stock/milk mixture by your cooktop. Melt butter in sauté pan. Add flour and whisk until roux is lightly toasted. Gradually ladle portions of the stock/milk mixture into the roux, continually whisking and adding until you have used all 3 cups of liquid and have a

smooth thick sauce. Whisk in Dijon mustard. Remove pan from heat and whisk in 1 cup of the cheese shreds. Gradually combine sauce with cooked cauliflower/onion/bacon, adding sauce until mixture is very creamy but not overly sauced. (If there is a small portion of extra sauce left, save for another use.) Pour mixture into casserole dish and smooth to level surface. Sprinkle surface of gratin with panko breadcrumbs; top with remaining half cup of shredded cheese. Place casserole in oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling. Serve hot.

Photography by Monica Kass Rogers

TEED UP FOR SUCCESS

Deerpath Golf Course pro Richard Franklin’s youth-centric, worldwide DiscoverGolf program espouses a unique and highly effective approach to teaching the game, drawing inspiration—and laughter—at every turn.

BY BILL MCLEAN ILLUSTRATION BY BARRY BLITT

Richard Franklin remembers teaching golf to kids the old-fashioned way, stressing repetition, repetition, repetition.

And more repetition.

That way was the best way—the only way— to either make young linksters fall in love with the challenging sport or to develop future scratch golfers.

Or so the part-time Lake Forest resident/ part-time Arizona resident thought.

“I was bad at it, and I was miserable,” admits the 39-year-old Franklin, a teaching pro at Deerpath Golf Course in Lake Forest and the founder/international director of DiscoverGolf, a game-play-based coaching philosophy endorsed by some 400 facilities on five continents.

“I promised myself that I’d educate myself on how kids learn, and then discover ways to provide a spark for the game of golf that would lead to their emotional investment. If we treat kids like machines, we’re going to lose them.”

But DiscoverGolf—launched in 2016 and featuring a network of golf coaches that has worked with more than 500,000 juniors between the ages of 4 to12 since 2010—strives to grow winners in the game of life, not just aces in golf, with decision-making opportunities serving as the system’s catalyst to fun and aha moments.

“A study was done in Brazil involving kids playing soccer,” Franklin says. “The kids often had to play with a makeshift soccer ball and compete in pick-up games at places that were much smaller than a typical soccer field. The confined space forced each player to make a decision every 10 seconds or so. Decisionmaking spurred development.

“Such an environment, so the theory goes, is a reason why soccer players from Brazil and players developing similarly from other countries are superior to soccer players in the United States,” he adds.

Franklin runs the largest junior golf program in the Midwest at Deerpath GC in the spring and summer months and is the director of junior golf development at Desert Mountain Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, during the winter.

DiscoverGolf will be offered for the first time at Winnetka Golf Club this year.

“Golf is usually taught in a linear way: grip, stance, tempo, etc.,” Franklin writes in “About DiscoverGolf,” a link on Deerpath Golf Course’s site (deerpathgolf.com). “I believe in an approach that honors the non-uniform nature of childhood development. Lead-

ing young people requires us to adapt with culturally relevant programming that honors a child’s kaleidoscope of prior experiences, unique perspectives, emotions, and personality that is brought to bear on our lesson tee.”

The true essence of DiscoverGolf?

“Recognizing how much more goes into working with kids than just golf,” notes Franklin, named one of Golf Digest’s “Best Young Instructors in America” in 2023. “You can never underestimate the value of getting kids to spend time outdoors, away from the screens.

I can’t emphasize enough the value of play, in a learning environment, in kids’ lives. And play gives kids nourishment.”

Franklin battled as the No. 1 varsity golfer at Hinsdale Central High School from the

start of his sophomore season until the end of his senior season.

“I was undersized as a kid,” he says. “I loved the short game, spending an inordinate amount of time around the green. I became infatuated with putting and chipping.”

Franklin then discovered the value of fitness.

His distance game didn’t catch up to his short game, but his drives graduated from thwacks to resounding smacks.

He attended Florida Atlantic University (not exactly a basketball school then, compared to what it suddenly became this March Madness) in Boca Raton for a spell before transferring to the University of Arizona, where he majored in City Planning.

‘While falling in love with my major, be-

cause I enjoyed systems thinking, I kind of fell out of love with golf,” Franklin recalls, adding he caught the golf bug again near the end of his college days in Tucson.

Stints on the Canadian Tour and Korn Ferry Tour—the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour—followed. Franklin, a 2006 University of Arizona graduate, played his last professional round in 2008.

A couple of years later, after having worked with former PGA Tour player Mac O’Grady—an instructor “who knows the geometric laws of the golf swing,” Franklin says—Franklin hosted a golf open house in Lake Forest and gave a demo lesson to Carl Beck, son of former PGA Tour player and current Lake Forest resident Chip Beck.

“As I’m talking with Carl, touting new golf technology like FlightScope radar, in walks in ‘Mr. 59,’” Franklin says, alluding to the round of 59 that Chip Beck had carded in the third round of the Las Vegas Invitational in 1991.

Chip Beck later added a swing coach to his team for Champions Tour events (tournament for elite golfers aged 50 and older).

The hire?

A man known then as “The High-Tech Swing Whisperer”—Richard Franklin, future expert on childhood play.

They worked together from 2009 to 2010.

Franklin is all about motivating and inspiring children through golf these days, as well as “creating experiences and environments that compel young people to explore and assert their agency over their immediate surroundings, all while feeling connected to a dynamic and accessible community of play.

“What concerns me today,” Franklin adds, “are the levels of anxiety that children are experiencing. It’s frightening, especially among girls in their teens. Most of that falls on social media, which has been shown to be patently bad for children. We have to nudge them away from their devices, get them outdoors, and encourage them to play.”

Franklin and his wife, Karah, a University of Chicago Booth School of Business graduate, have a daughter, Ashtiani, who turns 3 in April.

“I love spending time with my daughter,” Franklin says. “She’s my own little play monster at home. And she’s adaptive and spongelike, soaking up everything.”

For more information about DiscoverGolf, visit discovergolf.co. For information about signing up for DiscoverGolf programs this spring and summer, visit deerpathgolf.com and/or winnetkagolfclub.com. Deerpath Golf Course is located at 500 West Deerpath Road in Lake Forest, 847-8103888; Winnetka Golf Club is located at 1300 Oak Street in Winnetka, 847-501-2050.

You can never underestimate the value of getting kids to spend time outdoors.

Richard Franklin

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