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Michigan Golf News
August 6, 2010
Vol. 10, no. 32
Marsh Ridge Resort and the Natural Golf Course http://www.marshridge.com • Marsh Ridge Resort Television Network http://glsp.com/marshridge/ • 2010 Golf Package Rates: http://tiny.cc/yf99k • Labor Day Madness Registration: http://marshridge.com
Photo © Brian Walters
Hidden River Golf & Casting Club http://www.hiddenriver.com • Golf Information: http://tiny.cc/xkf4m • Golf Packages: http://tiny.cc/ihm6o
Forest Dunes is latest Michigan course to join Golf Magazine Top 100.
In This Issue: __/ __/ __/ __/
Treetops Resort http://treetops.com • Treetops Television Network http://glsp.com/treetops/ • Golf Packages, 2010: http://tiny.cc/497ku • Patriot Golf Day Registration http://tiny.cc/mtzrj • 23rd Annual Pepsi Charity Invitational Registration: http://tiny.cc/ie75d Sandy Ridge Golf Course • New course video introduced by Jerry Matthews http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhDSOrxw3z Manistee National Golf and Resort • Run & golf JerryMatthews Cutters’ Ridge course • PreviewMN X-C Invite: http://tiny.cc/ceff1 Half Off Golf Jeff Lesson'sWebsite: http://lessonongolf.com
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September Issue of Golf Magazine Features 2010 Edition of the "Top-100 Courses You Can Play" 19th Annual Boyne Tournament of Champions Video Coverage Natalie Brehm Takes Women's Michigan Amateur- By Susan Smiley GAM Ten Questions with Kevin Wright, Tournament Coordinator for the PGA Championship GLSP on Internet Advisor this Saturday ASGCA Notes that Golf Courses Assist in Storm Water Management A Little Scientific Research for All Those 19th-Hole Debates: By Bill Pennington- New York Times Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Johnny Miller Tee It Up at Harbor Shores Summer Heat Poses Challenges for Superintendents By Michael Caples MG on the Road: with Sherlynn Everly Michigan PGA Junior Tour - Mystic Creek GC-Results Powered by BlueGolf Minzey's Musings Michigan Golfer Magazine - Summer Issue Michigan Golf Calendar Michigan Golfer Television Upcoming Shows Michigan Golf Archives http://michigangolfer.com/mgn/archives.html Michigan Golf History http://michigangolfer.com/mgn/history.html Michigan Golf Association Links http://michigangolfer.com/mgn/associations.html
Photo © Brian Walters
Forest Dunes is latest Michigan course to join Golf Magazine Top 100.
=========================================================================== SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF GOLF MAGAZINE FEATURES 2010 EDITION OF THE “TOP-100 COURSES YOU CAN PLAY” =========================================================================== Tom Doak’s Pacific Dunes Again Edges out Pebble Beach Golf Links for, the top ranking - List Debuts August 5
(New York, Aug. 4, 2010) – Golf Magazine http://www.GOLF.com) celebrates public golf courses in its September issue with the release of the 2010 Top-100 Courses You Can Play – a highly anticipated biennial ranking of the top courses across the country where membership is not a requirement to play. Pacific Dunes, Tom Doak’s Links-style masterpiece in Bandon, Ore., again edged out Pebble Beach Golf Links for the top spot on the list, which hits newsstands Aug. 5.
“The second course to open at Oregon's Bandon Dunes Resort, this 2001 Tom Doak design has run neck and neck for the past six years with the course it replaced, Pebble Beach,” said Joe Passov, Golf Magazine’s Course Rankings and Architecture Editor about No. 1 Pacific Dunes. “But even after Pebble took center stage this year by hosting the U.S. Open, it couldn't knock Pacific from the top.”
The 2010 edition of Top 100 Courses You Can Play has hosted 14 PGA TOUR major championships, including the last two U.S. Opens and the PGA Championship next week; 16 courses were designed by the Joneses – Robert Trent Jones Sr., Jr./II and Rees – 13 by Tom Fazio and 10 by Pete Dye; 67 of the courses you can play for greens fees of $100 or less; and if you’re a traveling golfer, California has to be on your list as 10 courses land on the list from The Golden State. Seven courses were first-time selections to the list, including Old Macdonald, the newest Doak/Jim
Urbina design at the ethereal plot of land known as Bandon, Ore., which was the highest debut of the bunch at No. 10. “The fourth championship course at Bandon Dunes Resort pays tribute to the design style of pioneering American architect Charles Blair Macdonald,” Passov said of Old Macdonald. “Many already consider Old Macdonald to be the most fun Bandon course to play, thanks to its massive fairways and to its emphasis on strategy.” Thanks to Rees Jones redesigns, two old favorites return to the list – Cog Hill Golf Club (No. 4) at No. 16 and Mauna Kea Golf Course at No. 19.
The Top 100 Courses You Can Play was compiled through input from Golf Magazine’s World Course Ranking Panel (which can be found at Golf.com), the Golf Magazine editorial staff, industry insiders and the magazine’s network of “course spies” in the field.
Notes on Top 100 Courses You Can Play: Seven courses make their debut! The following courses have earned first-time recognition on the Golf Magazine list: #10 Old Macdonald, Bandon, Ore., a new Tom Doak/Jim Urbina design that joins its neighbors Pacific Dunes, Bandon Dunes and Bandon Trails inside the top-15. #16 The highest “new” course on this year’s list, Cog Hill Golf Club (No. 4) in Lemont, Ill. is an old favorite that earned its spot after a recent redesign by architect Rees Jones. #19 Mauna Kea Golf Course, Kamuela, Big Island, Hi. Like Cog Hill, Mauna Kea also benefited from Jones’ hand in a redesign. Clearly, Jones' efforts paid off, as both courses claim top-20 status. #45 Forest Dunes Golf Club, Roscommon, Mich. #80 French Lick Resort, French Lick, Ind. #87 Southern Dunes Golf Club, Maricopa, Ariz. #97 Tobacco Road Golf Club, Sanford., N.C.
============================================================== 19th ANNUAL BOYNE TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS VIDEO COVERAGE ============================================================== Video Coverage Channel http://michigangolfer.tv/2010shows/boyne_toc/ Ken Devine Speaks to the History of the Tournament with Boyne's Mike Chumbler Monday - Andrew Matthews Grabs The Alpine By The Horn Tuesday - Henry Do Shoots a 62 Wednesday -Matthews Does Not Diminish at the Finish Awards Show - Stephen Kircher and Kevin Helm, Helm this Show Jack Berry Interviews: Stephen Kircher, Bernie Friedrich, Andrew Matthews, Dave Kendall, Agim Bardha, Stacy Snider Olson, Dan Olsen, Scott Hebert, John Dalcorobba, Tom Harding, Agim Bardh, Andy Matthews Henry Do Allison Fouch Brian Cairns Andrew Ruthkoski Dave Kendall Tim Hygh Press Room Interview; Henry Do Outtakes - Tournament Reflections Video Coverage Channel http://michigangolfer.tv/2010shows/boyne_toc/ ================================================================== NATALIE BREHM TAKES WOMEN'S MICHIGAN AMATEUR- By Susan Smiley GAM ================================================================== ST. CLAIR -- It was an all green and white final at the 94th Michigan Women’s Amateur at St. Clair River Country Club Friday afternoon. Incoming Michigan State University freshman Christine Meier
(Rochester Hills) was pitted against her senior teammate Natalie Brehm (Mount Pleasant). It was Brehm who hoisted the championship trophy after defeating Meier 4&3.
Brehm was the 2009 runner-up and was driven to win this year. “I was really hoping I wouldn’t end up getting the second-place trophy again,” said Brehm. “It was fun to play against Christine. She played really well and I can tell you from what I saw today we are going to have a great team at MSU this year!”
The only thing that could have made the day more perfect for Brehm was if her brother Ryan could have been in attendance. He was runner-up in the Men’s Amateur in 2006 and won the championship in 2007. That makes the Brehms the first brother-sister tandem to win the state amateur.
“He’s playing in Alabama this week but I talked to him on the phone last night and he said he really wished he could be here,” Brehm said. “It is really cool that we both were amateur champions. I guess its kind of historic.”
Both Brehm and Meier struggled with putting through the first seven holes of the championship round. Brehm had back-to-back birdies on the par-5 8th hole and par-4 9th and kept pulling steadily ahead after making the turn. Her birdie putt on 15 clinched the match.
“It was great because I didn’t have to play that par 3 on 16 again,” said Brehm. “I really struggled with that hole this morning and it gave me some problems earlier this week. But I felt like I played a lot better overall this afternoon.”
Both semifinal matches went to 18 holes with Brehm defeating Lindsey Lammers (Milan/University of Detroit) and Meier defeating her sister Amy Meier (Ohio State University).
“It was just a battle this morning,” said Brehm. “I didn’t feel like either one of us was playing our best golf and it came down to the last hole.” Meier said it was fun to play two familiar foes in one day; her sister and her teammate. “It was just a lot of fun and Natalie is such a sweet girl,” said Meier. “It was a great tournament and its exciting just to make it to the final. And my coach was on my bag yesterday so feel like I got a little taste of what its going to be like playing for the Spartans.” There were may Spartan supporters in the gallery which Meier and Brehm both appreciated.
“It was great to hear ‘Go green! Go white!’,” said Brehm. “So many people from the club and the community came out to watch us and support us. It really means a lot and the atmosphere at the tournament was just wonderful.”
=========================================================================== TEN QUESTIONS WITH KEVIN WRIGHT, TOURNAMENT COORDINATOR FOR THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP =========================================================================== To many graduating college students with an interest in sports and especially in golf, Grand Rapids native Kevin Wright, 24, has a dream job. For the past five months, Wright has been serving as one of the Tournament Coordinators for the 92nd PGA Championship to be held Aug.12-15 at Whistling Straits. In April 2008, Wright graduated with a BA degree and a major in History from the University
of Michigan where he also spent four years as a sportswriter for the Michigan Daily. Wright landed internship positions with the PGA of America at the Ryder Cup Matches at Valhalla in September 2008, at the PGA Senior Championship in Cleveland in May 2009 and at the PGA Championship at Hazeltine last summer. Now a key staff member of the operations team for the 2010 PGA Championship, Wright slowed down enough in the hectic weeks leading up to Scott Hebert (left) with Jack Berry is Michigan's only representative in the season’s “last major” to PGA Championship. speak with Terry Moore who coincidentally graduated from Michigan and also majored in History, ominous precursors for a golf career. Here are excerpts of their “historical” conversation.
How did your first internship come about and what was your first task? Actually, I learned about it online during my senior year through the University of Michigan’s Career Office. I saw the listing for an internship with the 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla, applied for it in February and was selected before I graduated in April. I was selected to be one of 25 interns assisting the tournament coordinators. My first task along with another intern was to paint and touch up a white picket fence surrounding the Championship Office. I must admit we had to re-paint it the next day. It was an incredible experience to be part of the Ryder Cup. After that I applied for another internship in Cleveland for the Senior PGA Championship at Canterbury. I was one of only six interns there and the learning curve and the “to do” list were greatly accelerated. From there, I went on to Hazeltine for the PGA Championship. It usually takes three or four internships or assistants positions to be considered for a coordinator’s position so I’ve been very fortunate.
What are you major duties as a tournament coordinator? First, I’m in charge of the interns involved with operations. I oversee their daily tasks and make sure they get their jobs done. Secondly, I’m in charge of several different spreadsheets involving local vendors and how they interface with the tournament. For example, I make sure our local furniture vendor for tables and chairs has someone like me to work with and provide direction. It’s the same with our vendors making product deliveries, say Pepsi, or setting up trailers by Mobile Mini. The PGA has architects that carefully design and plan out our various sites and our team makes sure that space is accurately used.
Have there been surprises as a tournament coordinator moving up from an internship position? No surprises really. It’s been exciting to see the Championship from an office perspective. As an intern, I would be hired a month or so before the tournament but here I was hired in March, well before tournament week. As an operational assistant or as an intern, I didn’t have ultimate responsibility for an overall task. If you made a mistake you could learn from it and shake it off. Here I don’t go home at night unless that task is done. But I like that sense of responsibility and have grown from the experience.
What’s the most stressful part of your job? It’s not as stressful as it’s motivating. You see the fencing going up and it motivates you to get the wind screen installed in the right way where it’s clean-looking with no wrinkles. We take pride in attention to details. Also, this year we have ten interns as opposed to 15 last summer at Hazeltine. So it’s been especially motivating to me to get the job done with fewer assistants. It’s made me more focused.
With only a short time left until tournament week, can you describe your task list? In our office, we have a big board that lists 30 different tasks each day that need to be completed by the interns. So making sure the interns complete all those tasks each day is part of my job. And then I have my own “to do” list that I manage and carry out.
And how do you manage and keep track of all your tasks? My “must have” tool is my reporter’s notebook where I keep track of my daily jobs. Although I rely on spreadsheets on my computer for the major stuff I still like to use the pen and paper method for staying on top of my day. I guess it all goes back to when I worked as a reporter for the Michigan Daily at U-M.
Speaking of U-M and education in general, what classes or skills have been particularly useful for you here at the PGA? Growing up, I was always taught by my parents to be organized and that’s carried with me throughout high school and college. But in addition to organizational skills, it’s important to know how to work well with people. Being from a large and diverse school like Michigan and interacting in classes with lots of people from different backgrounds was very beneficial. Also, the ability to speak effectively in small group and public settings is important. Communication skills are vital.
Could you have taken any different classes or experiences to better prepare you for your work with the PGA? No, not really; because part of the PGA experience is learning it and there’s no substitute for that. It’s almost better not to go in with preconceived notions. You can’t always assume that every event is the same and is set in stone. I was lucky to intern at three different events and every one was its own living and breathing animal. You have to adapt and learn at each one.
What’s your golf background? I play golf but not very well and not too often. The other week, I hit a ball so far left it went right into Lake Michigan. In high school, I played basketball and baseball, so those were my major sports. So I didn’t start following golf until after high school. But my passion for the game is growing. The Ryder Cup at Valhalla was amazing and exciting and it really gave me a new appreciation for golf. My motto is that I’ll never be a very good golfer but I always enjoy playing and the course.
Okay, about this golf course. What are some suggested bleacher spots at Whistling Straits? Steer someone in the “Wright” direction. The clubhouse is gorgeous and there are huge bleachers around the 18th green so that’s one ideal location especially toward the end of the day. In terms of the front nine, it’s hard to beat the grandstands behind the first tee where you can also see some of the ninth green. There’s something special about hearing the golfers’ names being announced and watching their first drives of the day. And on the back nine, there are bleachers around the greens of the 12th, 15th and 16th holes that are perfect and also offer wonderful views of Lake Michigan.
======================================== GLSP ON INTERNET ADVISOR THIS SATURDAY ======================================== The Michigan Golfer and its parent company GLSP will visit WJR's Internet Advisory show this coming Saturday. The Internet Advisor airs Saturdays from 5-7 PM on WJR-AM 760 and is the longest running, locally produced computer help program in Detroit. Our first Michigan Golfer Television show was promoted on the show in 2001 and later we celebrated the show's 5th and 10th anniversaries. Internet Advisor Show - Introducing the Michigan Golfer Televison Show (2001) http://michigangolfer.tv/2001shows/show7/index.html
Internet Advisor 5th Anniversary Show http://michigantravel.tv/2003internetadvisor/
==================================================================== ASGCA NOTES THAT GOLF COURSES ASSIST IN STORM WATER MANAGEMENT ==================================================================== BROOKFIELD, Wis. – Recent record rains throughout the United States demonstrate how many communities rely upon golf courses to help handle torrential rain and subsequent flooding. A properly designed course provides a home for storm water, allowing for water filtration while keeping groundwater clean. The American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) puts course owners in contact with golf course architects who can help maximize the storm water management capabilities of golf courses.
“ASGCA members are committed to the design and renovation of golf courses that work with Mother Nature and provide a wide range of benefits,” said ASGCA Vice President Rick Phelps. “A well-designed course provides a positive environmental benefit to homes and businesses near the course, and the entire community.”
Examples exist from the United States and around the world of communities that reap the benefits afforded by a course that has planned in advance to make the most of water – whether that water was wanted or unwanted.
Groesbeck Municipal Golf Course in Lansing, Mich., is a vital community partner in assisting the city and township’s handling of storm water flow, thanks to a project designed by Jerry Matthews, ASGCA. Nine holes of the course were re-designed, in part, to include seven acres of storage ponds used for excess water flow during heavy storms. Today the 30-acre wetland system, including the golf course, can handle 10 million gallons of water per day, the equivalent of two “25-year storms” back-to-back.
Deerpath Golf Course in Lake Forest, Ill., was routinely flooded by runoff from a nearby hospital campus until former ASGCA President Bob Lohmann and Lohmann Golf Designs (LGD) renovated the course. LGD constructed a one-acre retention pond and several acres of man-made wetlands to serve as an attractive, effective overflow network. Ducks, heron and egrets have since found a home at Deerpath, and the wetland system is working effectively to filter the polluted off-site water before it re-enters the nearby Skokie River. LGD also rebuilt 59 bunkers which serve as a maintenance upgrade and improve the visual quality and playability of the course. Taken and edtied from an Eileen Smith release
=========================================================================== A LITTLE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR ALL THOSE 19TH-HOLE DEBATES: By Bill PenningtonNew York Times =========================================================================== "Ever wonder if you play better golf riding in a cart or walking? Ever wonder how many calories you burn in a typical round? Or if you would play better if you were in better shape? Ever wonder if golf is truly a sport? Neil Wolkodoff wondered all those things, too. And as the director of the Center for Health and Sport Science at the Rose Medical Center in Denver, he knew how to find the answers. Two years ago, he bought $27,000 worth of equipment to conduct a painstaking set of tests on amateur golfers. When he was done, he had some findings that could settle a lot of barroom arguments." More: http://onpar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/a-little-scientific-research-for-all-those-19th-hole-debates/
Photo by Carter Sherline / Frog Prince Studios
=========================================================================== JACK NICKLAUS, ARNOLD PALMER, TOM WATSON AND JOHNNY MILLER TEE IT UP AT HARBOR SHORES =========================================================================== Harbor Shores Champions for Change will feature course designer Jack Nicklaus along with fellow greats Johnny Miller, Arnold Palmer, and Tom Watson on Aug. 10, 2010, to celebrate the grand opening of The Golf Club at Harbor Shores, a new 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course that opened all 18 holes on July 1. The Champions for Change event will feature the foursome competing in an 18-hole skins format with rotating twoman teams. With almost 200 PGA tournament wins among them, this event marks the first time in history that these four players will be paired together for 18 holes.
Nicklaus will open The Golf Club at Harbor Shores
About Harbor Shores Harbor Shores is Lake Michigan’s first beach and golf resort community, just 100 miles east of Chicago in Benton Harbor/ St. Joseph, MI. The community’s central amenity is an 18-hole, public Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course that offers stunning views of Lake Michigan. The 530 acre master-planned community plans to feature a full calendar of events and world-class amenities, including a marina village and riverwalk, restaurants and shops, deep-water marinas, a boutique hotel and spa, miles of recreational trails and rivers, and acres of parks and green space. Harbor Shores will be home to nearly 800 residences, including charming cottages, custom homes, town homes and condominiums.
History In the mid-80's, the cities of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, Mich., once thriving manufacturing communities, were devastated by the closing of several factories, including Whirlpool Corporation closing the largest washer and dryer manufacturing facility in the world. More than 5,000 jobs were lost.
Since that time, St. Joseph has evolved into a thriving Midwest tourist destination as it is conveniently located just 90 minutes east of Chicago. Benton Harbor, adjacent to St. Joseph to the northeast, has struggled to find a new identity and a new source of economic stability. Over the past few decades, Benton Harbor has become one of the most poverty-stricken cities in the state of Michigan – and the country.
With the vision to revitalize Benton Harbor, local non-profits, Whirlpool Foundation, Cornerstone Alliance and the Consortium for Community Development, came together to work towards broad based community revitalization efforts that include virtually every other non-profit organization in the area. Organizations like Harbor Habitat for Humanity, The Boys & Girls Club of Benton Harbor, The First Tee, Michigan Works and many others are in partnership to drive revitalization in both economic development as well as a human capacity building, designed to address the needs of citizens of all ages and stages of life. The signature component of years of redevelopment work is Harbor Shores, a 530-acre beach and golf resort community that will serve as a major economic enabler for Benton Harbor’s transformation. With a unique non-profit ownership structure and a true public/private partnership, Harbor Shores will continue revitalization efforts by creating new jobs, increasing the tax base, stimulating new consumer spending and focusing on creating new opportunities for the local citizens.
The cornerstone and central amenity of Harbor Shores is The Golf Club at Harbor Shores, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course along the shores of Lake Michigan. It is widely considered one of the most anticipated golf course openings in 2010 and a true testament to how golf is being used as an enabler for social and economic change. The Golf Club at Harbor Shores was also recently selected to host the 2012 and 2014 Senior PGA Championship.
======================================================================= SUMMER HEAT POSES CHALLENGES FOR SUPERINTENDENTS" By Michael Caples ======================================================================= While the summer heat wave that overtook Michigan may have helped the water park industry, golf course superintendents across the state had a difficult month.
High temperatures combined with little rainfall in areas made golf-course maintenance a challenge as superintendents tried to keep their land saturated and free of fungi that thrives in those conditions.
Ron Dahlin, president of the Michigan Golf Course Superintendents Association and superintendent at The Meadows at Grand Valley State in Allendale, said that to make matters worse, golfers had to make a choice between high-90s degrees temperatures or staying close to their air-conditioning units.
“The worst thing about it is that you have the temperature where it almost becomes uncomfortable to golf,” Dahlin said. “People would much rather be on the beach or doing things like that, so you find out that your play has a tendency to drop a little bit, and traditionally you see kind of a slump in July anyways.”
The MiGCSA president said that his colleagues have been comparing the scorching July weather to the summer of 1988, which featured many record-setting highs.
This was borne out by a recent media advisory by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America saying the high heat and humidity levels have affected major parts of the country.
"The simple fact is the cool-season turfgrasses such as bentgrass, fescue, bluegrass, annual bluegrass (Poa annua) and others are stressed when temperatures climb and humidity is high," said Clark Throssell, Ph.D., director of research for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. "Golf courses in many parts of the country experience this every year, however what makes the situation so dire this year are the high levels of extended heat and humidity, and the sizeable part of the country affected (Midwest, Mideast, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic)."
Courses have been forced to implement changes that included raising the mowing heights of playing areas, alternating daily practices of mowing and rolling putting greens, forgoing double mowing, and hand-watering as much as crews could handle. Douglas Ware, the division golf course superintendent for the Livonia public golf courses, said that the July heat wave dried out his courses. “By the middle of the month, we had greens turning brown, some fairways turning brown, a lot of browning,” Ware said. “The course gets hard and firm, but some golfers actually like that, because you get a lot of rolls. They can hit a ball and it only goes 150 yards, but they’ll get 50 yards of roll if it’s a little dried out.”
Ware pointed out that constant watering can actually add to the problems superintendents face. “The irrigation we have to use, it’s off the Rouge River, with a lot of salt in it,” he said. “We’re using that water all the time, and it causes us to dry out even more because of all the salt in the water, so we can actually get more brown spots on the greens.” In a month like July, where there is high temperatures along with high humidity rates, golf courses are forced to fight fungal diseases with expensive chemicals.
“To really combat them, you end up spraying a lot of fungicides, which are expensive,” Dahlin said. “Right now, a lot of people are working with reduced budgets, and they’re trying to make that call, can I really afford to do this? They don’t want to lose the turf, so they end up trying to rob other parts of their budget to finance the fungicides.”
Yet some courses aren’t feeling the heat strain like others. Jay Eccleton, superintendent at The Emerald in St. Johns and secretary/treasurer of the MiGCSA, said that no rain is better than a lot of rain. “It hasn’t been too bad,” Eccleton said. “We’ve been kind of dry, but our employees are hanging in there and we’re working as many hours as we can to make it work, trying to keep people happy. But it hasn’t been that stressful to have the rain stay away, it’s when the rain’s around that we have a problem because then there’s no golf.”
Dahlin said golfers who play at courses that do face budget problems could expect to see wellgroomed courses – for those who keep the ball in play.
“You see a lot of people who are taking their maintenance focus and kind of go with the term ‘down the middle’ – tees, fairways, greens. They’re really not worrying about any misses that aren’t normally in play. They’re letting those go and worrying about the more important areas.
“The guy has a slice or a hook may find out that instead of mowing the rough twice this week, they only did it once because they needed somebody to work on a green or a fairway.�
====================================== MG ON THE ROAD: WITH SHERLYNN EVERLY ====================================== Jim and I just returned from golfing the Big Three in the UP - TimberStone, Sweetgrass and Greywalls. We did a stay and play package at the Island Resort and Casino which was a very good deal - 3 nights and two courses cost us $428.00 (not counting our casino losses!). We golfed TimberStone for free as it is one of the many great golf courses in the MGCOA Golden Passbook.
TimberStone in Iron Mountain was our first course. Staff were apologetic that we had to play cart paths only, but the course got 2 1/2 inches of rain the night before. (We had been roused during the night from our room due to a tornado warning!) You could hardly tell! We never saw any standing water, and staff had already cleaned up any evidence of wind damage.
Everything about this course was nice - the people, the scenery, the layout - it even smelled nice! Ladies tees were level and occasionally had convenient ball washers.
Located on the side of a ski mountain, the course had lots of elevation changes, especially on the last two holes. There were plenty of trees but you'd really have to screw up your shot to be in serious trouble. We will definitely play there again!
Our second day of play was spent at Sweetgrass, adjacent to the casino in Harris, just west of Escanaba. We were paired with two local guys who work at the resort so having their local knowledge was a plus. The layout here is fairly open with lots of bunkers, tall grasses and plenty of water. A unique feature is the re-use of steel bridges that once serviced local highways.
We had a very enjoyable 18 holes. The course was fair and the greens were large and fast. I shot par on the island green so that made me smile!
Finally, there was Greywalls! I'm not sure what to say. The second of two courses at the Marquette Golf Club, Greywalls is dramatic, breathtaking, awesome - and one SOB to play! The front nine was the worst - can't see the green on most holes, nowhere to land safely, and no reward for good shots. Having five sets of tees to play from didn't help much. The greens were crowned and so fast that putts that didn't go in the hole ended up further away than when you started.
The second nine wasn't nearly as mean. More open landing areas, and greens that would hold a putt. I guess someone figured out that if you don't have at least a couple of good holes in a round, there isn't much reason to return.
I'd recommend everyone play Greywalls at least once. Because of its setting and unique layout, it has to be played to be believed. But I believe I won't be playing there again anytime soon!
Reporting from the great golf courses of Michigan, this is your lady on the links, Sherlynn Everly.
NOTE: Sherlynn Everly plays to a 29 handicap and plays 3-4 times per week. She is the Treasurer of the Genesee County Chapter of the Executive Women's Golf Association and former Executive
Director of IMA Recreation Association/.IMA Brookwood Golf & Banquet Center.
========================================================================== MICHIGAN PGA JUNIOR TOUR - MYSTIC CREEK GC- RESULTS POWERED BY BLUEGOLF =========================================================================== Results for contest Girls 16-18: 1 Kristen Areddy Saline, MI 44-42--86 +14 2 Emily Hysong Saline, MI 44-47--91 +19 T3 Brandi Studer Essexville, MI 46-48--94 +22 T3 Esther Durling Perry, MI 46-48--94 +22 5 Leah Carlson Wixom, MI 53-42--95 +23
Results for contest Boys 13-15: 1 Justin Nowak Richmond, MI 35-40--75 +3 2 Alexander Dombrowski Gaylord 42-36--78 +6 3 Kyle Gaines Oxford, MI 41-40--81 +9 4 Reese Lassila Calumet, MI 44-40--84 +12 5 Spencer Haupert Clarkston, MI 46-45--91 +19 6 Kyle Rybicki White Lake, MI 50-42--92 +20 T7 Bradley Minniear Northville, MI 50-43--93 +21 T7 Justin Webster Adrian, MI 53-40--93 +21 9 Tyler Masters Olivet, MI 48-48--96 +24 10 Austin Terris Saline, MI 50-50--100 +28 T11 Avery Swain Grosse Ile 47-55--102 +30 T11 Nick Sanscrainte Allen Park, MI 52-50--102 +30
Results for contest Boys 16-18: 1 Tyler Polulak DeWitt, MI 40-34--74 +2 T2 Evan Bowser Dearborn 37-37--74 +2 T2 Shawn Carmody Harrison Twp., MI 36-38--74 +2 4 Joe Parker Commerce Twp, MI 37-39--76 +4 T5 David Thompson Davison, MI 39-38--77 +5 T5 Mark DeWitt Rockford, MI 40-37--77 +5 T7 Nick Robeson Clarkston, MI 39-40--79 +7 T7 Austin Bremer East Grand Rapids, MI 43-36--79 +7 T7 Collin Breit Muskegon, MI 42-37--79 +7 10 Gregory Bussell Farmington, MI 40-40--80 +8 T11 Brian Pierson Ypsilanti, MI 42-39--81 +9 T11 Eric Hepker St Ignace, MI 40-41--81 +9 13 Colton Matteson Prudenville, MI 45-37--82 +10 14 Kyle King Sterling Heights, MI 45-38--83 +11 T15 Nolan Chapman Oxford, MI 46-38--84 +12 T15 Charles Perry Detroit, MI 43-41--84 +12 T17 Aaron Wheeler Chesterfield, MI 41-44--85 +13 T17 Eric Perry Detroit, MI 43-42--85 +13 T17 David Arnold Walled Lake, MI 44-41--85 +13 20 Trevor Neelis Harbor Springs, MI 43-43--86 +14 T21 Andrew Wallace Waterford, MI 44-43--87 +15
T21 Tyler Jackson Clyde, MI 45-42--87 +15 23 Justin Haase Macomb, MI 45-43--88 +16 T24 Jamison Webster Adrian, MI 43-46--89 +17 T24 Andrew Wegert Beverly Hills, MI 46-43--89 +17 26 Mark Thompson Canton, MI 53-40--93 +21 27 Alexander Davis Novi, MI 51-46--97 +25 Results for contest Girls 13-15: 1 Sarah Thompson Canton, MI 50-47--97 +25
================== MINZEY'S MUSINGS ================== A husband and wife are on the 9th green when suddenly she collapses from a heart attack! "Help me dear," she groans to her husband. The husband calls 911 on his cell phone, talks for a few minutes, picks up his putter and lines up his putt. His wife raises her head off the green and stares at him. "I'm dying here and you're putting?" "Don't worry dear," says the husband calmly, "they found a doctor on the second hole and he's coming to help you."Well, how long will it take for him to get here?" she asks feebly. "No time at all," says her husband. "Everybody's already agreed to let him play through."
A gushy reporter told Phil Mickelson, "You are spectacular; your name is synonymous with the game of golf. You really know your way around the course. What's your secret?" Mickelson replied, "The holes are numbered."
A young man and a priest are playing together. At a short par-3 the priest asks, "What are you going to use on this hole, my son? " The young man says, "An 8-iron, father. How about you?"The priest says, "I'm going to hit a soft seven and pray." The young man hits his 8-iron and puts the ball on the green. The priest tops his 7-iron and dribbles the ball out a few yards. The young man says, "I don't know about you, father, but in my church, when we pray, we keep our head down."
Police are called to an apartment and find a woman holding a bloody 5-iron standing over a lifeless man. The detective asks, "Ma'am, is that your husband?" "Yes "says the woman. "Did you hit him with that golf club?" " Yes, yes, I did." The woman begins to sob, drops the club, and puts her, hands on her face. "How many times did you hit him?" "I don't know, five, six, maybe seven times.....just put me down for a five."
A golfer teed up his ball on the first tee, took a mighty swing and hit his ball into a clump of trees. He found his ball and saw an opening between two trees he thought he could hit through. Taking out his 3-wood, he took a mighty swing. The ball hit a tree, bounced back, hit him in the forehead and killed him. As he approached the gates of Heaven, St. Peter asked, "Are you a good golfer?" The man replied: "Got here in two, didn't I?"
The bride was escorted down the aisle and when she reached the altar, the groom was standing there with his golf bag and clubs at his side. She said: "What are your golf clubs doing here?" He looked her right in the eye and said, "This isn't going to take all day, is it?
Note: Dr. Jack Minzey, now retired, was one of Eastern Michigan University's finest professors, The wit he brings to this page, was also the wit he brought to his classroom.
========================================== MICHIGAN GOLFER MAGAZINE - SUMMER ISSUE ========================================== Our Summer issue of the Michigan Golfer is now online, our fifth issue in the new ISSUU format. The Michigan Golfer has been through a number of stages, print from 1983, online in 1996, television in 2001, a newsletter spin off in 2001 and now in ISSUU, a software that combined with the new iPad, allows for magazines to be downloaded and read at any time. Chris Lewis takes us on a visit to both Alma College and Aquinas College to learn about their collegiate teams. William and Brad Shelton, our father and son team of writers, team up to tell us about the new Pete Dye course at French Lick. Mike Duff, one of veteran writers, joined a media fam trip to explore the suddenly famous Forest Dunes course in Roscommon. Enjoy. Table of Contents Alma Scots - Chris Lewis Walter Hagen Returns to French Lick - Brad Shelton French Lick Defies Economic Downturn - William Shelton Forest Dunes - Mike Duff Aquinas Golf - Chris Lewis http://issuu.com/michigan_golfer/docs/mg0610
Past Issues 1996 - 2010
http://michigangolfer.com/#pastissues
============================================ MICHIGAN GOLFER TELEVISION UPCOMING SHOWS ============================================= Michigan Golfer Television Channel http://michigangolfer.tv Michigan Golfer You Tube Channel (234 shows) PGA Championship, Sheboygan, WI Sweetgrass Golf Course, Harris, MI Skins Game at The Golf Club of Harbor Shores
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?pi=0&ps=20&sf=added&sa=0&sq=golfer&dm=2
============================= 2010 MICHIGAN GOLF CALENDAR ============================= August 7 Players Championship 3rd Major, Pilgrims Run Golf Club, Pierson, MI 8 Wendy's Golf Classic
http://www.miagt.com/index.php?pg=schedule
9-15 U.S. Women's Amateur, Charlotte CC, North Carolina 12-15 PGA Championship, Whistling Straits, Sheboygan, WI http://www.thelegendstour.com/Classic/
16-17 89th GAM Championship, Flint GC http://pgatour.com
http://gam.org
19 17th Annual MGCOA Golf Outing And Supplier Field Day Bedford Valley Golf Course, Battle Creek 21 MIAGT at Calderone Golf Club, Calderone Golf Club, Jackson, MI http://www.mgcoa.org
Aug. 21-22 Treetops Resort hostsGolfweek's Junior Series Qualifier http://www.miagt.com/index.php?pg=schedule
23-25 Michigan PGA Championship, Eagle Eye GC 23-29 U.S. Amateur, Chambers Bay, University Place, Washington http://www.golfweekevents.com/Juniors2010.shtml
September 3-6 Labor Day Madness at Marsh Ridge Resort, Gaylord, MI Registration: http://marshridge.com/golf/proto/marshridge/calendar/calendar.htm Videos of Past Tournaments http://glsp.com/marshridge
3-5 3rd Annual Patriot Golf Day Shootout, Treetops Resort, Gaylord, MI Registration: http://treetops.com/index.php?method=golf&subpage=patriotgolfday Videos of Past Tournaments http://glsp.com/treetops 11 MIAGT at Coyote Preserve GC, Coyote Preserve Golf Club, Hartland, MI
13-16 Michigan PGA Match Play, Oakland University, Sharf 18 MIAGT Tour Championship, The Grande Golf Club, Jackson, MI http://www.miagt.com/index.php?pg=schedule
26-28 23rd Annual Pepsi Charity Invitational, Treetops Resort, Gaylord, MI Registration: http://www.treetops.com/index.php?method=golf&subpage=pepsitournament Videos of Past Tournaments http://glsp.com/treetops October 1-3 Ryder Cup, Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, Wales 2 Golf League Championship Tournament. Eagle Eye Golf Course, Bath http://www.migolfleague.com or http://www.mgcoa.org http://www.miagt.com/index.php?pg=schedule
9-10
Toughman Scramble, Treetops and Black Bear GC, Gaylord and Vanderbilt, MI http://www.treetops.com/index.php?method=golf&subpage=Toughman_Tournament
November and December 30 - Dec 2 Michigan Golf Business Conference and Vendor Fair,Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Grand Rapids http://www.mgcoa.org