Michigan Golf Journal July 2023

Editor’sLetter

Welcome to July and our packed full magazine with everything ranging from high school golfers, to the Michiganders invited to play in the USGA Adaptive Open, to great golf deals aimed at couples at points south.

Some special college golfers had a special spring season, including Charles DeLong (DeWitt, Grand Valley State) being honored by Jack Nicklaus as the top Division II player in the country. We also profile the high school Mr. Golf winner, and another teenager, Drew Miller, who shot a 61 to break the 61-year-old course record at the Country Club of Lansing.

In July we also cover:

The grand things happening at Grand Traverse resort and in the Traverse City area

A Freeways and Fairways course review of Eldorado in Cadillac

A visit to the iconic and historic Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio

Wrap ups of the Michigan Amateur and the Michigan Open

How the Dow LPGA Great Lakes Bay Invitational will honor Veterans Lots of other Michigan news pieces

What's Inside:

We pride ourselves in bringing you the widest variety of Michigan-only golf news and travel, and we hope you feel we accomplish that each month.

TomLang EditorandPublisher

College Golf Wrap Up: College Golf Wrap Up: Exceptional Spring Season Exceptional Spring Season

ByTomLang

College golfers in Michigan had some great individual and team results in the spring of 2023 – in fact the accolades kept coming after the college season wound down in late May so we had to wait until now to share it all.

MSUWomenWinNCAARegionalin Florida,aProgramFirst

The MSU Women’s golf team led from wire to wire to take the crown of NCAA Regional champion for the first time in the program’s history. The tournament was played at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, FL in midMay.

MSU (then ranked No. 34) won with team scores of 285-296-291 – 872, ahead of Duke, Texas and Northwestern.

MSUsophomoreBrookeBiermannalsotied formedalist by scoring 3-under 69-73-71 – 213 with Latanna Stone of LSU. The Spartan’ Valentina Rossi placed T9 and Leila Raines was

T14. Biermann went on to earn a sponsor’s exemption into the Meijer LPGA Classic, her first pro tournament, where she finished just two strokes off the professionals’ cutline.

Women’sAll-BigTenSecondTeam

Hailey Borja, SR, Michigan

Monet Chun, JR, Michigan

Valentina Rossi, JR, Michigan State

SportsmanshipAwardHonorees

Anika Dy, SR, Michigan

Shannon Kennedy, SO, Michigan State

MSU’sTroyTaylorRankedNo.1in APGACollegiateRankings

Michigan State men ' s golfer Troy Taylor II finished the 2022-23 season ranked No. 1 among all players in the Advocate Professional Golf Association (APGA) Collegiate Rankings. Eligible players are Black golfers from NCAA Division I or II programs – including HBCUs.

The ranking gave him a sponsor ' s exemption into the 2023 UNC Health Championship (Korn Ferry Tour) and qualified status at the 2024 season-opening APGA Tour Farmers Insurance Invitational at Torrey Pines. He was also the low amateur and runner up finisher in the John Shippen tournament at Detroit Golf Club on June 25, missing by one position of qualifying for the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Men’sAll-BigTen,SecondTeam

Drew Hackett, Michigan State

BigTenSportsmanshipAwardHonorees

James Hill, Michigan

Troy Taylor Jr., Michigan State

BrookeBiermann

Charles DeLong of GVSU Charles DeLong of GVSU Earns Jack Nicklaus Award Earns Jack Nicklaus Award

The awards just kept coming for Charles DeLong, as he was named the 2023 Division II Jack Nicklaus Award winner, an award presented to the national player of the year in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, as well as NAIA and NJCAA. The team also won the program’s first ever NCAA II Regional, by 18 shots, and advanced to the quarterfinal round at Nationals.

DeLong earned First-Team All-American and was named theGLIACPlayeroftheYear. He put together the best season of any individual in GVSU program history, taking home seven individual titles, bringing his career total up to 13, the most of any golfer in program history. DeLong went on to lead the PGA Michigan Open championship after three rounds, eventually placing 2nd in the mostlyprofessional field.

FirstTeamAll-GLIAC

Brandon Bodis, Davenport

Caleb Bond, Ferris State

Drew Coble, Grand Valley State

Charles DeLong, Grand Valley State

Nick Krueger, Grand Valley State

Max Leppelmeier, Wayne State

SecondTeamAll-GLIAC

Noah Bridgeman, Davenport

Charlie Cooley, Grand Valley State

Garret Day, Wayne State

Josh DiCarlo, Wayne State

Mat Hawryluk, Wayne State

Bryce Wheeler, Grand Valley State

OliviaStollAddsGLIAC

WomanPlayeroftheYear

SophomoreOliviaStollwasnamedtheGLIAC PlayeroftheYear, on the strength of three tournament wins – at the Williams Beall Fall Classic (208), Augustana Spring Fling (144), and UMSL Spring Fling (219).

Joining Stoll on First-Team All-GLIAC were

Paula Badino and Megan Miron. Julia Sanchez earned Second-Team All-GLIAC honors.

Women’sAll-MACFirstTeam

Casilda Allendesalazar, Soph., Central Michigan

All-MACSecondTeam

Kayla Davis, Senior, Bowling Green

Ashley Goh, Junior, Central Michigan

Men’sAll-MACSecondTeam

Cam Kellett, Eastern Michigan

CharlesDeLong

Grand Times at Grand Traverse Resort Grand Times at Grand Traverse Resort

ByTomLang

Recently my wife made the comment that she knows it’s finally summertime when there is a June trip to Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.

Our family has made many excursions to the northern Michigan jewel, dating back to a family reunion 25 years ago.

And while reunions and business conferences are very common for the special Traverse City location, more often summer trips are made by golfers. Grand Traverse Resort, often called GTR, is the home of three high-level challenging golf courses, with none like the other, and each uniquely stationed out of one clubhouse.

Built to be the toughest golf course in the state in 1985, Jack Nicklaus’ The Bear, is joined by Spruce Run (1979) and the Gary Player designed The Wolverine (1999).

“We’ve been doing buddies groups for decades, and what we have to offer is the three great golf

courses, and they are all completely different courses and challenges, but all based out of the same clubhouse,” said Tom McGee, director of golf. “It’s so convenient. When they arrive, they drop off their clubs and never have to move them again, nor take them to their rooms or car. And they can walk just 400 yards to the main hotel entrance. If they are playing 36 holes in one day they don’t have to drive to another facility or clubhouse.

“We have the nightlife as well with Turtle Creek Casino down the road. And there’s downtown Traverse City, which is very vibrant in the summertime. So, there’s a lot to do for the buddies – male or female. And we’re seeing more female groups of 10, 12, 20 ladies; I’m seeing a lot more of them than in the past.

“It’s all the same for the couples” McGee added. “But it doesn’t have to be golf all the time. There’s the wineries on Mission Point, and here at the resort we have the Spa (7,000 square feet with 23 treatment rooms) and the Beach Club, and Aerie Restaurant. But if they want to go off

TheBearHole8

property there’s a lot of choices.”

OnPropertyGolf:

Right out of the gate, TheBear’s Hole 1 green complex sets the tone as it will give golfers many clues as to what the rest of your day on The Bear will look like. Deep, difficult bunkering surrounding uniquely-shaped greens that have small corners and various plateaus that can make for difficult, tucked pin locations depending on the mood of the grounds crew that day.

Overall, there is a ton of mounding and moguls found off the fairways, all across the course, so if you go there, not only are you dealing with the longer grass, but you likely will not have a level stance.

I really like holes 12 and 13 -- for both playability

and attractive landforms. The first is a shorter par 4 slight dogleg right with a wide fairway to start that narrows down on the approach (not uncommon on Nicklaus' design here) to the green that is on the other side of a pond. Then 13 is a medium par 3, going over an extension of the same pond but going the other direction. And remember the clue about deep bunkers? There are stairs built into five of the bunkers surrounding the 13th putting surface. Overall, this pair of holes is one of the more aesthetically attractive parts of the course.

The closing hole at The Bear is an iconic par 4 with a green protected by water front, with two different routes to choose from off the tee on either side of a huge tree. Pick one and live with the decision on how your round ends – but most people go left and make the hole a little longer.

TheBearHole13

TheBearHole13

When I play TheWolverine, the back nine is my favorite, especially starting at supposedly “unlucky” hole 13. From the tee box the hole looks fairly routine, but reach the corner of the dogleg right and the approach to the green is a beautiful, wide-open view of your downhill shot to a bunker-protected green against a backdrop of water and a massive cherry orchard. No. 14 is a medium par 3 that runs right alongside the same downhill shot you had at 13, making for back-to-back beauties.

Spruce Run hosted the Michigan Open from 1981-84, and no player ever broke par for the tournament. “It’s a heck of a golf course, it just doesn’t have the famously named designer.”

NBCGolfPassratersrecentlyvotedGrand TraverseResortastheNo.8bestresortfor golfintheU.S.,inpartfor:‘beingjustminutes fromdowntownTraverseCity'sbreweries,Grand TraverseBay'sbeaches,theLeelanauPeninsula's wineriesanditssistercasinoproperty.’

SpruceRun: “It’s a lot of golf course,” McGee said regarding those who maybe picture it as the trio’s stepchild. “It’s more the typical northern Michigan golf course – tighter fairways, more tree-lined. You have to be more accurate off the tee box, where The Wolverine and The Bear you can actually spray it off the tee a little and be okay.”

Midweek days offer Unlimited Golf Packages: Monday through Thursday golf is unlimited if you pick a package of lodging and golf. “You can play as many rounds as you want to, all free replays, during mid-week,” McGee said.

Mark Hill, Director of Instruction at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, once told me he

TheWolverine

SpruceRunHole17

started to see a noticeable change in how many women were participating in golf in 2021. McGee said a school for ladies this May was sold out in 10 days from its first announcement, and at least one or two more are coming this summer.

Hill mentioned that women are also getting into the game more, as an activity to do with their husbands or partners. With more lessons, clinics and events being offered, women of all skill levels can pick up a club and get out on the course and be a part of the nearly 1 million women nationwide to have taken up the game the past few years.

$10.5MillionHotelRenovation:

The Resort’s original six-story Hotel opened in 1980. The newest renovation that began in November of 2022 was done entirely by Michigan companies.

GRAND TIMES AT GRAND TRAVERSE RESORT

Matthew Bryant, general manager, said theguest room totals went from 239 to 242, adding two new junior suites as well as four updated hospitality suites. Every guest room was gutted and redone with excellent updates, including their bathrooms, plus corridors, elevators and four public restrooms. Exceptional comfort and quality was the mantra plus convenient amenities including refrigerators, tile showers, and expansive inroom storage space.

“We brought the beauty of northern Michigan into the rooms while also celebrating our owners, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians, with artwork and décor,” says Bryant.

I stayed in the revitalized hotel in June and had a great experience. Just rearranging some aspects of the former rooms provided a greater sense of open space and comfort.

SpecialFallEventsandActivities:

September1-4,2023:LaborDayWeekend GolfSpecial

$89TheBear&TheWolverine,$59SpruceRun

Say goodbye to the summer season with special pricing all Labor Day weekend. Exceptional course conditions make for a day of golf you will never forget, and our special pricing makes it easy to try out each of our three highly acclaimed courses.

October7,2023:12thAnnualBigHoleGolf Tournament

features gigantic, impossible-to-miss 10’ cups!

October22,2023:14thAnnualTuffEnuffGolf Tournament

$130perteam,includesgolf,cart,andprizes

Play one of Michigan’s toughest courses, The Bear, at its absolute hardest. We turn The Bear into 7,000+ yards of long-range tee boxes, aggressive greens, and challenging hole locations.

GolfPackagesAnytime

One-nightGolfPackage(midweekandweekend optionsavailable–canbebookedmorethanone night)

· One night of accommodations

· One day of unlimited golf per person (midweek), one round of golf on any course per person (weekend)

For current golf rates or to reserve a tee time, call 231-534-6000, visit the Pro Shop, or book online.

$280perteam,includesgolf,cart,andprizes

This four-person scramble on Spruce Run

TheBearHole1

International Fireworks Championship International Fireworks Championship Coming to Traverse City Region in Fall Coming to Traverse City Region in Fall

The first International Fireworks Championship comes to Traverse City, September 9th at Turtle Creek Stadium, and is believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S. Four world-class fireworks manufacturers will compete for bragging rights. The winner will be crowned after a vote of those attending.

Companies from the U.S., Mexico, Germany and France qualified for the event by winning other fireworks competitions. While fireworks challenges are common in other countries, there are only a few held in the U.S. whereas the shows are wildly popular in Europe, the UK, Canada and Mexico.

Ticket are on sale at InternationalFireworksChampionship.com. P i $30 f b t d $250 f f

person and 25-person suites are available by calling Turtle Creek Stadium at (231) 943-0100, while groups of ten or more are available at (231) 947-1120.

Touring Pro Joe Touring Pro Joe

Juszczyk of Juszczyk of Dearborn Dearborn Heights Nets His Heights Nets His Biggest Career Biggest Career Win at Home: Win at Home: Michigan Open Michigan Open

ByGregJohnson

Joe Juszczyk of Dearborn Heights, a touring professional golfer playing one tour or another for 13 years, came home to Michigan to win the biggest check of his career.

The 36-year-old journeyman shot a closing 2under 69 and finished two shots clear of the field at 12-under for the victory in the Hall Financial Michigan Open played at KatkeCousins Course at Oakland University.

“I’ve won tournaments before but nothing that meant this much,” he said just before receiving the $18,000 first-place share from the largest purse in the 106-year history of the state championship: $122,500.

Grand Valley State University golfer Charles DeLong of DeWitt, the leader by one shot over Jusczcyk going into the final round, shot a closing 72 and tied for second at 10-under with mini-tour golfer James Holley of Howell.

DeLong, the recent Jack Nicklaus Award winner as the best player in NCAA Division II, was the low amateur of the championship.

Juszczyk, who played at Wayne State and has status on PGA Tour Canada, said playing minitour events and chasing the PGA Tour dream is tough, and joked that he thinks about giving up the road every winter.

“It’s a tough road, especially if you can’t handle the failures along the way and just be patient,” he said. “I’ve worked at being patient. Seriously though, I have thought about quitting a handful of times since I was 28 or 29, but I’m a golfer and I keep going.”

Jusczcyk and DeLong traded the lead or were tied for the lead throughout the final round. It turned in Jusczcyk’s favor when he saved pars after missing the greens on Nos. 13 and 14 and DeLong missed the greens at Nos. 14 and 15 and couldn’t get up and down.

“Joe was super solid all day and when he was in trouble a couple of times he was able to get back on track really well,” DeLong said. “He made a clutch par on 14 and that was kind of the turning point. It was a fun battle back and forth.”

Michigan’s Mr. Golf: Michigan’s Mr. Golf: Lorenzo Pinili Lorenzo Pinili

ByTomLang

Lorenzo Pinili, of Birmingham Brother Rice High and a future MSU Spartan, was chosen as Mr. Golf 2023 by the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association.

Pinili won the Division 2 individual state championship after placing runner up the previous two years. He shot 64-70-134 at The Fortress in Frankenmuth, which tied an MHSAA two-round record. The week prior he won medalist at the regional, by winning in a playoff.

He took second in the Catholic League tournament at Oakland University and had two additional invitational runners up to his credit. He finished no worse than 5th in any event all season, with a spring scoring average of 70.1, improving upon his 72.5 scoring avg. the year prior. Pinili was a 3-time All-State Super Team member.

Outside the high school ranks, he and partner Drew Miller of East Lansing were the youngest qualifying team at the USGA national 4-ball tournament in May.

“Here in my last season, winning an individual state title and winning Mr. Golf were the two things left I had to check off to pretty much complete my whole high school experience and the goals I set since freshman year,” Pinili told me. “Doing that, and doing it on my last chance, it’s a great feeling and I knew I had to give it my all and not leave anything out there.

“As a younger kid playing and seeing the kids who have won the title (before me), I looked up to them. I think it shows a high standard of golf for the season and so having that title means a lot to me.”

In June he reached the quarterfinal round of match play for the 112th Michigan Amateur at Oakland Hills against seasoned adults and college players.

Pinili said that Michigan State recruited him early and proved they really wanted him in East Lansing.

“Visiting there and going through the whole process just felt like a second family there, and I wanted to be part of the community they have built there,” he said. “To everyone who asks, I say (think beyond the school) to think about who the people are you’ll be with pretty much the next six years, when you commit early, and pretty much for life – who do you want that community of people to be? And they are exactly who I wanted to stick myself into that (MSU) community and that environment.”

Division1

Team: Northville

Medalist: Peter Roehl, Rochester Adams

Division2:

Team: Grand Rapids Christian

Medalist: Lorenzo Pinili, Birmingham Brother Rice

Division3:

Team: Grand Rapids Catholic Central

Medalist: Matthew Sokorai, GR Catholic Central

Division4:

Team: Clarkston Everest Collegiate

Medalist: Remy Stalcup, Everest Collegiate

Teenager Breaks Teenager Breaks

61-year-old 61-year-old Course Record Course Record with a 61 with a 61

The course record 62 at the Country Club of Lansing haunted members almost every day for over six decades as they tried unsuccessfully to best it.

Drew Miller, a soon-to-be senior at East Lansing High School, simply made it a goal on his list.

Check.

On June 3, Miller shot 11-under par 61 from the tips at 6855 yards. The previous record of 62 was set by Bud Reniger in 1962 from the now blue tees. Reniger had an outstanding amateur

career that included winning the high school state championship in 1941 at Lansing Eastern, winning the Lansing All-City Championship at least 4 times (some results records were lost) –with numerous other triumphs like 13 CC of Lansing club championships.

“The course record was a goal that I had,” Miller told me. “I like the fact more that it was a check off my goals’ list. And it’s hard for me to wrap my head around it more (than that), like these other guys, including my dad, grew up there … and they see the record every day they go out there. Me, I knew it was there, but it wasn’t something I always looked at,” adding

that it wasn’t ingrained into his head like it is others. “And that might have helped.”

Miller’s feat was witnessed by his father, Kevin, plus CC of Lansing members David Brownback, a very accomplished golfer who has played in USGA events, and Jerome Abood. Brownback, coincidentally, held the previous record from the tips at 63. Miller said Brownback was happy to witness his record being broken.

Miller made seven birdies on the front nine, and six on the back, for a 30-31-61. If not for two bogeys, one each on par 3s, he would have shot 59 or better. Miller said he had a four-footer on the par 3, 17th hole for par, and it lipped out. Then he got up and down for par from 60 yards out in the fairway on 18. Prior to that, he missed an eagle putt that lipped out on 15, to settle for birdie.

“So, a 59 was right there, for sure.

“I really didn’t hit it out of position off the tee, and I was hitting (my approaches) inside of 6 feet,” Miller said, adding that he didn’t make any putt longer than 12 feet, but he did hole out a bunker shot on the par 3, 4th hole for birdie, then noting that he played the par 3s at 1-over par.

“A lot of people were surprised. They hear 61 and they kind of had to ask twice,” Miller said. “It hadn’t been broken for so long that nobody really believes it when they first hear it.”

Miller committed to playing golf at Michigan State. He plans to graduate from East Lansing this winter, then work on some community college credits while playing golf down south before becoming a Spartan in the fall of 2024.

A Visit to Historic Firestone A Visit to Historic Firestone Country Club in Akron Country Club in Akron

ByTomLang

Firestone Country Club is one of those great golfing venues just dripping with history.

The host site to World Series of golf events, three PGA Championships, the long-ago Rubber City Open Invitational, the more recent WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, and current day host site of the Senior Players Championship, among others, leaves no doubts about golfing history with its golf museum-type photography all over the clubhouse walls – but also that special feeling in the air when on the course. For 66 consecutive years, the club has hosted a professional Tour event.

Michigan’s former PGA Touring pro Dan Pohl of Mt. Pleasant knows it all too well.

“Firestone is a golf course that maybe has some of the toughest and best set of par 4s besides maybe Oakhill,” Pohl told me. “Just a fabulous golf course and I was always proud to have won

the World Series of Golf there. Still one of those great golf courses that I enjoy going back to play once in a while.”

Like virtually all golf courses do, it’s been lengthened over the years, to where the current South Course stands at 7,400 yards from the tips, much tougher than when Arnold Palmer dubbed the 16th hole as ‘The Monster.’

“Hole 16 at Firestone is one of the tiniest greens on the golf course, and you’re hitting it over that corner water and the green isn’t very deep,” Pohl added. “You lay up down there and you think you have a nice 9 iron or sand wedge in there and you’ve got this tiny green where you have to hit a perfect shot.

“It is one of those places where you have to play the right tees or you” might struggle a lot.

Wait,you,thepubliccanplaythere?

SouthCourseHole18

Yes, since just 2020, but only if you stay in Firestone’s onsite lodging made up of some outstanding group villas, or individual rooms above the clubhouse. The latter is a unique experience with 29 modernized sleeping rooms off the large upstairs lobby area, which have inroom half baths. Guests simply use the locker room for showering just as if they are a member for the day (or week, etc.).

The villas are located at the 18th green and along the 16th hole of the famed South Course, and at the 18th green on the North Course. They have several individual sleeping suites, but the villas also include large upstairs party rooms for groups to gather, with a pool table, large screen TV, kitchen, fireplace, dining table, over-stuffed chairs and couches, and a balcony that can accommodate a couple dozen people.

The villas are located at the 18th green and NorthCourseHole16 along the 16th hole of the famed South Course, and at the 18th green on the North Course. They have several individual sleeping suites, but the villas also include large upstairs party rooms for groups to gather, with a pool table, large screen TV, kitchen, fireplace, dining table, over-

stuffed chairs and couches, and a balcony that can accommodate a couple dozen people.

PlayingFirestone:

Three courses and 54 holes make up the huge property located next door to parks and nature preserves similar to the Detroit MetroPark system, but Akron style. And of course, the iconic water tower is often visible. It was erected after the original clubhouse burned down in 1958, mostly because there was not enough water available, so members made sure that wouldn’t happen again.

The South Course is a classic parkland layout that Harvey Firestone had built in 1929 for the recreation of his tire workers, with very affordable dues in the early years. There are no out-of-bounds areas, just a lot of tree trouble if

you are off-line. Another tip I heard is ‘if you are wrong, be long’ on your shots because most of the trouble is in front of greens, not behind.

My favorite 3-hole stretch is the closing 16-18. Hole 16 is a mega-long par five but if you hit the ‘speed slot’ as they call it to the right side of the fairway at the crest of the hill, you can get an extra 100-yard-plus roll out off the tee and down the hill. Hole 17 is s a solid uphill par 4 challenge, before the classic 18th, a downhill slight dogleg left to an elevated green. It’s the site of Tiger Wood’s ‘shot in the dark’ approach he hit well after dusk from 167 yards to win the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in 2000, one of his 8 Tour victories at Firestone.

The North Course is on property that is also tree-lined, but the trees are pushed back more off the fairway than South. Again, my favorite

consecutive holes are the closing stretch. Hole 16 is a downhill par 5 that gets skinnier at the end to a thin, deep green surrounded by water left and back. Hole 17 is a forced carry par 3 that gets most of the photographers’ attention with its peninsula green and Firestone water tower in the background.

Hole 18 also requires a drive over water for this par 5 gem of a closing hole, then over a creek to a green that is very wide but not deep.

Don’t skip the Fazio designed third (West) course whose front 9 wraps around the outside of the South Course, featuring huge green complexes and formerly massive sand traps that were downsized during the last renovation in October 2020 to feel less like playing in the desert. The front nine has almost-drivable par 4s back-to-back (4 and 5), followed by the

toughest hole on the course. The back 9 is the highest elevation on the Firestone property, is hilly and provides wonderful sightlines of the expansive property. If your

Hole18

group is looking for a unique experience at a very historic club, investigate staying onsite, getting play privileges and experiencing the marvelous food options (don’t leave town without ordering the Crunchy Cream pie).

Added bonus: Firestone owns and maintains a public 9hole course at the north end of the North Course that’s got similar land features and conditioning beyond most public options. Also at that location, an old driving range has been transformed into a BigShots food and golf-focused entertainment option that’s great for additional nightlife or a rainy-day activity. It uses TrackMan and TV simulators to play courses from around the world in a gaming format similar to TopGolf but without the ‘basket targets’ in the ground.

For more information about Firestone, visit www.firestonecountryclub.com

SouthCourseHole3

Couples Golf is Growing, and Couples Golf is Growing, and Hilton

Head Island has

the

Deals Hilton Head Island has the Deals

ByShaneSharp

When it comes to golf on and around Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, you likely think ‘golf buddies trip.’

Totally get it.

But “America’s Golf Island” also happens to be a top-voted best destinations for golf couples, whether traveling alone or with other twosomes. The Sea Pines Resort, Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort and the Heritage Golf Collection have rolled out their couple’s golf packages for the remainder of 2023.

Statistics prove this travel segment has grown exponentially over the past three years, and the Golf Island is responding.

Couples packages for Hilton Head feature

incredible golf, tennis, pickleball, beaches and dining, and are now available to book through the remainder of 2023 at www.hiltonheadgolfisland.com.

Featured couples packages for 2023: TheSeaPinesResort

The famed host venue of the PGA TOUR’s RBC Heritage is the perfect golf getaway any time of year with its Inn Golf Package. Featuring highend accommodations at the Forbes Four-Star Inn & Club at Harbour Town, the Inn Golf Package includes a round of golf on Habour Town Golf Links, Heron Point by Pete Dye and Atlantic Dunes by Davis Love III. The Inn’s guest rooms cover 480 square feet and are enhanced with an inviting coastal palette that

HarbourTownGolfLinksHole17

exudes Lowcountry charm. Couples can enjoy fine and casual dining at an array of restaurants including the reimagined Quarterdeck, Links, an American Grill, Coast, Oceanfront Dining, Ocean Lounge, Fraser’s Tavern and Harbourside.

PalmettoDunesOceanfrontResort

Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort has responded to the growing couples golf trend with its Group Golf Stay and Play Couples

Retreat for groups of 12 or more. The package includes: four days and three nights’ accommodations in a two-bedroom condo or villa; three rounds of golf on the Robert Trent Jones, George Fazio and Arthur Hills Courses; two hours of tennis and pickleball court time daily (based on availability); free range balls; and discounts on pro shop merchandise and

dining at Big Jim’s, The Dunes House and Alexander’s Restaurant. Complimentary bike rentals are also available, as the streets of Palmetto Dunes are ideal for biking (with over five miles of paths within the resort) while the island at large offers more than 50 miles of paved paths.

HeritageGolfCollection

The Heritage Golf Collection, owners and operators of numerous Hilton Head Island courses, has teamed with Sonesta Resort to offer the Couples Retreat. Starting at $265 per person, per night based on double occupancy, the package includes three nights accommodations in a standard Sonesta Resort guest room, unlimited rounds of golf on Heritage Golf Collection Courses, complimentary range balls and dinner for two

HeritageCollectionCupps

at the award-winning, chef-driven LagerHead Tavern at Rees Jones designed Oyster Reef Golf Club. In addition to Oyster Reef, Heritage facilities include Palmetto Hall, Port Royal and Shipyard.

GettingThere

Getting to America’s Golf Island has never been easier. Hilton Head Island Airport (HHH) on the island’s north end offers nonstop and one-stop service from multiple hub cities and connections via American Airlines, Delta and United. American offers daily non-stop flights to/from Charlotte and seasonal service to/from Dallas / Ft. Worth, Philadelphia and Washington National (DCA). Delta has daily flights to/from Atlanta and United provides

daily non-stop service to/from Newark (EWR) and Washington Dulles (IAD).

For more general information: www.hiltonheadgolfisland.com.

MICHIGAN MICHIGAN AMATEUR: AMATEUR: August August

Meekhof Meekhof Wins Wins

ByTomLangand GregJohnson

August Meekhof knocked on the door of the Michigan Amateur champions’ title in 2020 and again last year but was stopped short in the semifinals both times.

This time he quietly kicked the door in to win the top amateur tournament in the Great Lakes State, the 112th Michigan Amateur. All totaled it takes two rounds of stroke play, and six rounds of match play to earn such golf nobility, and Meekhof pulled it off with a 2-and-1 win over Will Anderson of Portage.

“It feels really good,” Meekhof said. “This field is one of the greatest fields we play against and obviously match play is really hard and it’s a long week for sure. This is something that I have wanted to win for a while now. I’ve been close the past couple of years, but never got it. It feels good to finally be the Michigan Amateur champion.

“It’s starting to sink in that my name is going on there,” he said about the legendary names

already on the Staghorn Trophy as the Michigan Am champ. “Being part of that elite group is special to me.”

Meekhof is a Michigan State University golfer from Eastmanville near Grand Rapids, while Anderson is a University of Michigan golfer. Both have one year of college eligibility remaining.

Meekhof had a 2-up lead through 12 holes but lost the par 3 No. 13 hole to a flop shot birdie chip-in by Anderson from behind the green. He went back to 2-up on 14 though when Anderson three-putted for bogey, but Anderson was not done yet. He rolled in an eight-foot birdie putt on 16 to close the gap. That sent the duo up the 17th hole, where Meekhof rolled in a six-foot birdie putt to win.

Meekhof said the pair acknowledged the MSU vs. U-M rivalry with some talk before the final

match, but they said they talked more about knowing each other since age eight and competing with and against each other.

“It was a little bittersweet beating a friend,” Meekhof said. “You want your friends to do well, but then when you’re playing them, you want to beat them.”

Anderson said he was talking a lot of positives from the long week and being runner-up.

Mike Ignasiak Mike Ignasiak Wins GAM Senior Wins GAM Senior Match Play Match Play Championship Championship

Novi’sJohnMorgan TopsSuperSenior Division

Mike Ignasiak of Saline called it a grind, especially after the heat of the final two days of the early June Senior tournament in Flint, and then having to play Michigan Golf Hall of Fame member Greg Davies of West Bloomfield in the championship match.

“Those last eight guys in the bracket, any one of them can win this tournament easily,” he said.

“Then to go up against Greg in the final – he’s a Hall of Famer who never gives up. He’s never out of a hole. I don’t care where he hits it. He always seems to chip in or make a long putt. He does things that are kind of ‘hey, don’t forget about me. I’m still here.’”

“Knowing that I can hang with the best players when I don’t have my best game, that I can just battle and see where it puts me at the end of the day,” he said. “I lost to a great player and a good friend. We were laughing about playing all those statewide Meijer Junior Tour events when were like eight. It was a little strange walking down the fairway in the championship match with him, but not really a surprise. We both wanted to be there and win. Battling with him, that’s a positive I can build on.”

Following a critical par save on hole 16 to keep a 1-up lead Ignasiak won the 17th hole with a par to hold off Davies 2 and 1 in the title match of the 15th GAM Senior Match Play Championship at Flint Golf Club.

“I was playing so good coming in and I was feeling really confident because this course suits me,” said Ignasiak, a 57-year-old former Major League Baseball pitcher who as an amateur golfer is a former GAM Mid-Amateur champion (2007) and runner-up to Andrew Chapman in the Michigan Amateur Championship (2013).

Dow LPGA Great Lakes Bay Invitational Dow LPGA Great Lakes Bay Invitational

Serving Veterans Who Served Us Serving Veterans Who Served Us

ByTomLang

To hear Dow GLBI tournament Vice President Wendy Traschen speak about her reverence for military Veterans, there’s no doubt she wants to take good care of those who come to the LPGA Tour team event this month at the Midland Country Club, July 17-22.

“The Veterans start calling me in the winter,” Traschen told me in late June. “They want to know dates and make sure they can get accessibility. It’s really clear we have a lot of Vets in the Great Lakes Bay region in need, and we asked what we could do.”

Well, Traschen and the tournament as a whole is doing a lot. For starters:

Free tickets to the event, for the Veteran and a guest.

A special free food tent/suite for military and Veterans only at the 11th hole Shuttle rides to other areas of the golf course

Traschen said that Kelly (Services) is a major sponsor of this effort. “They firmly believe in embracing Veterans and their challenges and making sure they are rewarded for their years of service to us.

“We’ll have hot dogs and burgers in the suite every day, but we’re working with other organizations to provide food, like a pancake breakfast. On Thursday we’ll have a caterer, Flying Trout, provide dinner for them that afternoon. We’ll also have a golf clinic from 4:00-6:00 and I’ll have an LPGA player get them

out on the course and give them some putting lessons.

“We’ll do a chicken dinner on Friday and then on Saturday (the final round) we’ll have an additional lunch.”

Veterans will also receive free hats, pins, and a commemorative coin from the Patriot Promise Foundation.

“Many of the Veterans are big LPGA followers,” she added. “I have five Veterans that have come from out of state the last three years who just take this week as their vacation. I appreciate the trouble they are going to, to come and support the tournament, and really to support the players. It’s all pretty robust and I hope to see it grow.”

At the 11th hole, an active-duty military service person will tend the hole flag, replacing the Dow diamond flag with a small American flag.

Traschen mentioned that Dow has a relationship with Richard Childress Racing, and NASCAR driver Austin Dillon. The NASCAR Show car will be there, and all Dow staff and contractors have been able to submit family names of people who have served in the military, and those names will be transferred to the hood of the car.

She said last year they served about 350 Veterans per day but expects more this year and in the years to come.

More information can be found at: www.Dowglbi.com/tickets, with a separate section for Veterans information.

Four Michiganders to Four Michiganders to Play in the 2nd USGA Play in the 2nd USGA Adaptive Open Adaptive Open

ByTomLang

Kelsey Koch of Grand Blanc was born 31 years ago without a tibia bone in her left leg, but it hasn’t slowed her down.

Fast forward during a life of always wearing a prosthetic leg, because her parents decided at age 8 months for an amputation, Koch played high school golf and a few local events. Yet she had never heard of the national level adaptive golf opportunities until last year when she caddied an exhibition at the Ally Challenge for 2022 USGA

Adaptive women’s champion KimMooreof Battle Creek.

Now Koch will be playing in the same event at Pinehurst for her first time, July 10-12, while Moore defends her national title. BrianBemis ofLansing (no right leg) andSophiaHowardof Hudsonville (no right hand) will also represent Michigan in the event, as all three did last year.

The USGA received 285 entries for the 2023 U.S. Adaptive Open, and the 96-player final field

includes competitors from 28 states and 11 countries. In the field of golfers ranging age 15 to 75, 66 played last year, and 30 will be making their championship debut.

“I was speechless to be honest, and that’s rare for me,” Koch quipped about first hearing she was invited. “Being able to have this experience for me is so overwhelming, in a positive way.”

Koch, who on a good day stands 5-feet tall and weighs 85 pounds, learned to walk at a young age only on a prosthetic.

KelseyKoch

“I don’t feel any different, I don’t want to know anything different. I think it’s a big blessing for me,” she said, but added that never in her wildest dreams did she think she’d be able to have such a golf experience as this one.

“And I can speak for my family when I say they would have never thought so either, and here we are. And it speaks for the people who aren’t here. I have lost a few good people in my life, and I just feel like this (event) is because of them, and for them.”

Playing golf as a child with her grandparents, both now passed, are her best memories of the game. Now Koch coaches the JV golf team at Grand Blanc High, and teaches golf and yoga at Accension Health Club, among many other duties.

When her parents made their decision, Koch’s surgeon

performed the procedure, but tragically died two days later in a horseback riding accident, so she never made notes on the operation. Koch said that normally, leg amputations are done above the knee or below the knee. Her surgeon went through the knee, which today allows her to use a micro-processor knee, which allows Koch some fluctuation in the knee joint.

“No one knows why she went through the knee, but she did and I’ve never had one problem with it and have lived a very blessed life as an amputee,” Koch said. “I don’t have the struggles with (the leg) I know I could have, although life has given me other struggles, but my leg is not one of them.”

KimMoore

KelseycaddiesforKim

Koch said her troubles came in another form –but thankfully she made the choice to get sober from alcohol abuse over two years ago, “and that’s been my greatest blessing,” she told me. “None of this would be happening if it weren’t for that. I look back and don’t know how I functioned, but I survived and we’re here now and life can only get better.”

Moore is the head coach of the Western Michigan University women’ golf team and is a former college and mini tour golfer herself. Since her USGA win last summer, she has played golf with Jack Nicklaus and represented the U.S. in many adaptive golf competitions worldwide. Bemis works at the Country Club of Lansing, and Howard is a high school student in west Michigan. We shared their stories last year at: https://www.migolfjournal.com/june-2022

Dusting Off a Rembrandt Dusting Off a Rembrandt

Founded in the 19th century and a private course for most of the 20th, Washtenaw Golf Club in the 21st century finds itself as one of the three oldest golf courses in the state, with modern owners and a fresh, but familiar vision for the future.

Owners Dave Kendall, Nick Ma and Steve Davis are committed to improving and restoring the course to its glory days when it hosted major tournaments such as the Michigan Amateur and Michigan Open.

Kendall, a distinguished golf instructor and Michigan Golf Hall of Famer, often says that “if you come back to Washtenaw just once a year, my goal is that each time you’ll say it is better than it used to be.”

Course improvements are guided by a master plan created by award-winning Michigan golf architect Ray Hearn, and the longtime friends share a vision of a course with a “golden age look and feel.”

Hearn describes Washtenaw Golf Club as “ a Rembrandt painting that has been in the attic for a little too long. It had a couple of layers of dust on it when Dave and his partners bought it, and all we are trying to do is remove the dust.”

Much of that “dust” was in the form of trees. As many as 20 percent of the trees at Washtenaw have been strategically removed both to improve lines of play and to aid the growth of grass on tee boxes, fairways and greens.

Washtenaw showcased its evolving golden age design on June 26 when the club hosted its annual Folds of Honor outing. The charity event helps to provide scholarships to the children and spouses of our nations’ deceased or disabled service members.

World Golf Hall of Famer Dennis Walters was the outing’s headliner. Walters, who was paralyzed in a golf accident in 1974 at age 24, plays from a custom swivel-seat golf cart. He was unable to perform his renowned golf show because of torrential rains during the outing,

StoryandphotosbyJohnRetzer

WashtenawGolfClub’snewlife

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but Walters still held court and answered questions from the outing participants.

In his usual inspirational manner, Walters challenged his audience to do something in their lives that they perhaps thought was impossible.

Walters lives by his own words. At age 73, he is soon on his way to compete in the USGA’s 2nd annual Adaptive Open at Pinehurst Golf and Country Club. He noted that until last year’s Adaptive Open, he had not played competitive golf in more than 40 years, but felt he had to participate because of its historic significance.

In his remarks after the event, Kendall was visibly moved by the support of the Washtenaw Golf Club community for the Folds of Honor charity outing. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the support,” Kendall said. “The Folds of Honors families feel the passing of their family member 365 five days a year, and I know it is not too much to ask for us to come

together one day a year to support them by playing golf.”

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Longtime players – many of whom participated in the Folds of Honor outing – note that many holes have been transformed from restrictive tunnels of trees to a more open look with room for thoughtfulness and creativity.

Tree removal also has restored the value of some unused portions of holes. The par four 16th once required a straight tee shot down the middle, followed by a short iron over a pond to the green. A 100-yard stretch of fairway to the left of the pond was never used and really didn’t make much sense. Once trees on the left were removed, however, that fairway came back into play. Now a tee shot can cut the corner, roll down and onto that fairway segment, leaving a short pitch to the green – or yet another option to the green for those who cannot clear the water. Continuesonnextpage>>

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On the 8th hole – a short par 4 with a savage green perched on a hillside 25 feet above the fairway – tree removal has brought a fairway bunker back into play. Previously, shots had to be played right of that bunker to avoid hitting trees. Players can now challenge the bunker to get a shorter shot into the green.

An early aerial photograph of the course suggests that many of Washtenaw’s greens were rectangular (rather than rounded), so Hearn is working with Superintendent Mark Pappas to return the greens to their original, unusual shapes. Some of that involves closely mapping out the old aerial photograph; core samples also are taken to find the sharp edges of the original greens.

New tee boxes were introduced in late 2022. There is a new forward tee box on the 1st, and

new rear tees on the 2nd, 4th, 5th and 7th holes. Others are forthcoming.

Hearn says the plan calls for the restoration of some old lost bunkers, eliminating a few current ones that “don’t make sense” and reshaping others to fit with the character of the golden age of golf architecture.

Kendall notes that the response from annual members, public players and league golfers has been very positive. The restoration of Washtenaw Golf Club to its golden age design is a long-term effort, but regulars who observe closely can see the changes from week to week.

I have personally experienced it often.

You can read more work from John at: www golfblogger com

Michigan Legislators Learn About Golf’s Special Michigan Legislators Learn About Golf’s Special Impact on Our State and the golf day 2023 group rts Impact on Our State and the golf day 2023 group rts

ByGregJohnson

State Rep. John Roth has a grassroots understanding of the golf industry and its impact in Michigan.

“It is very special to me because I worked on golf courses for several years – at Crystal Mountain Resort for a while and then Traverse City Golf and Country Club for 21 years,” said Roth, RInterlochen, a former

grounds spray technician turned legislator. “The golf industry to me is very, very special.”

Roth enjoyed a homecoming of sorts, meeting up with former co-workers and friends from the industry as the state’s allied associations presented the annual Michigan Golf Day at the Capitol event in early June.

For 15 years course owners, operators and superintendents have gathered each spring to voice a cooperative message. Golf stakeholders convened with legislators and staff members for lunch on the lawn of the state Capitol, and also visited the offices of each legislator. To mark the day, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proclaimed that “June is Michigan Golf Month,” via a proclamation delivered and read into record by Sen. Mallory McMorrow.

The overall message imparted included industry facts like $4.2 billion in annual economic impact in Michigan, over 60,000 people employed by golf courses in the state, $1.4 billion in wages paid and over 150,000 acres of managed green space and wetlands that provide wildlife habitats.

Roth said he is fully aware that the golf industry is mostly small businesses that have a large impact on communities.

“Their businesses are big parts of a lot of communities and they are seasonal, and they never know what the weather is going to do and that can make it a good or bad year,” he said. “I understand that and some of the other legislators know that. A lot of them play golf. Do they understand the business impact golf makes in communities? I’m not so sure. That makes this day very important. The industry is sharing its message in a very effective way.”

Freeways and Fairways: Freeways and Fairways: Eldorado Eldorado

ByTomLang

Thiscoursereviewispartofanoccasionalseries thatlooksatgolfcoursesfoundalongMichigan interstatefreeways–thoseyoudriveby frequently,oronthatannualvacation,butnever seemtohavetimetostopandexplore.Hereismy assessment:

Eldorado is a golf course that is either blessed or cursed to be right in the easy line of site for golfers heading north on US 131 every weekend because most are driving right past it with visions of further-north resorts dancing inside their dimpled heads.

But maybe you should slow down next time and give it a try. When I did in June, I was paired up with a father-son duo from California, who did just that – and we had a great time.

“We’re taking a day or two to get to our destination (Treetops) and this is one of the spots my dad pointed out on the way up last

night and we thought we’d check this place out,” said Chris McKeon of Carlsbad, CA as we stood on the 18th tee. “No expectations. We had no idea what it is, and it turned out to be quite the gem.

“There’s a lot of open space, and there is a really nice look across the course. Very good views, and you can drive the ball without relying on being really tight, except a couple holes on the back nine. But for the most part it’s fairly wide open and you can let it rip. Super big greens, very fun course.”

The open property appears to be former farmland, in part because a clean white home and freshly painted red barn sit across the road to the south. The front nine is pretty wide open, except for the approaches to some greens where it’s narrowed down by trees. The back nine has more water come into play by far. Approximately one-third of the property has marsh land in which the back nine meanders its way to and fro.

No. 8 is interesting in that the tee box is tightly surrounded by trees, but it opens up to a wide fairway, which then squeezes down on the par 5 to a very skinny area at the end of a dogleg left,

requiring an approach over the marsh to an elevated green with mounding across the back to catch long balls.

The closing holes 9 and 18 share a combined green that is beautifully shaped and adds a great amount of character to each finishing hole. Hole 18, a longer par 4, requires a solid drive off the tee or you’ll have a layup before going over a large pond to the large putting surface.

“I think it’s awesome here,” said David

McKeon. “My son and I like to do these golf trips and have discovery golf, where we just pick a course, drive to it and see if we can get on.

“The people in the pro shop here were fantastic, and I would also say that everybody in Michigan that we’ve met, from dinner last night and the course we played (Bay Harbor), to this one, super people here in Michigan. A lot of nice people who have been so friendly to us.

“Eldorado is very different from what we play back home,” he added. “There’s more trees on this course than any we’ve played in CA. It’s got many forced carries and when you’re a high handicapper it’s been a challenge, but it’s been a blast.”

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