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Area’s “Dream 18” Salutes Iconic Holes Brian Bemis Battles, Overcomes Amputation Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll Wins As Coach, Player

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SPORT CONTENTS

10 SWeet at 16

Team Beltzer Is Tough To Beat BY dan kilbridge

COVER Photograph J. ROBIN SUMBLER

12 kueny takes aim

Dad And Daughter A Winning Team BY tim weatherhead

14 fit fore golf

State Of Fitness Can Shave Strokes BY JENNIFER ORLANDO

22 Mid-michigan’s “Dream 18” 15 Courses, 1 Incredible Round To Remember Selections by sport’s golf panel Hole descriptions by tom lang

28 THE GLAGA SAGA

18 Questions For Area Pioneer Jim Donahue BY BURTON SMITH

30 ZERO HANDICAP

Game Of A Lifetime Golf Brings Generations, Families Together BY STEVE GRINCZEL

Brian Bemis Teaches Us About Golf, Life BY JACK EBLING

34 PGA THERE FOR YOU

Promoting Game’s Attractiveness A Major Goal BY TOM LANG

36 BRINTNALL MEANS BUSINESS

Innovative MSU Course Teaches Golf’s Other Values BY TOM LANG

EB-SERVATION

FITNESS

A New Twist

Core Strength Improves Scoring

SPORTS AUTHORITY

Lansing’s Top Caddie Convention And Visitors Bureau Loaded With Golf Information

By RITA WIEBER By BRENDAN DWYER

FINISH LINE

From Biggie And Mary…

To Today’s Spartans, It’s All About Core Values By stacy slobodnik-stoll

SPORT COMMUNITY

Contribute To SPORT Magazine

Send us your News + Notes, story ideas and Last Shot photographs. www.SportLansing.com

SUMMER 2010

Assists

SPORT CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mike Major Born and raised in the Lansing area, Mike was always a huge sports fan, participating in baseball, football, basketball and golf in his youth. He served as the head boys basketball coach at Lansing Sexton from 1989-2005. Since leaving the coaching ranks, sports photography has filled that void. Mike can often be seen photographing area youth sports or playing a round of golf.

Steve Grinczel Steve was an award-winning sports reporter for Booth Newspapers of Michigan and mlive.com. He has covered Michigan State University football and basketball since 1986 and has written or co-authored two books on the Spartans. Grinczel began his soccer officiating career in 1975 and has more than 1,300 NCAA, high school and USSF games under his belt.

Jennifer Orlando A recent graduate of Michigan State University, Jennifer is excited to be a journalist in the ever-changing world of media. She has experience working across multiple mediums, including radio, print and TV. She serves as the executive producer for “Ebling and You” on 1320 WILS-AM and as the assistant editor of SPORT magazine.

Burton Smith A Lansing native, Burton graduated from Princeton University in 1977 and helped the men’s golf team win two Ivy League titles. Golf isn’t even his best sport. A 2007 inductee into the U.S. Bowling Congress Hall of Fame for Lansing, Burton has rolled 17 300 games. He and his wife Denyse are the proud parents of Brandon, a prospective MSU Computer Science student.

The Greater Lansing Sports Magazine

Volume #2 • Issue #8 Summer 2010

Publisher NBB Publishing Editor Jack Ebling Assistant EditorS Andy Flanagan Andrea Nelson Jennifer Orlando Contributing Writers Brendan Dwyer Jack Ebling Steve Grinczel Dan Kilbridge Tom Lang Jennifer Orlando Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll Burton Smith Tim Weatherhead Rita Wieber PhotographY Kristin Beltzer Jim Donahue Brendan Dwyer Tom Lang Mike Major Michigan PGA MSU Athletic Communications Terri Shaver State Of Fitness J. Robin Sumbler MAGAZINE Design & LAYOUT Traction Printing Millbrook Printing, Co. Mailer Aldinger’s, Inc.

SPORT, The Greater Lansing Sports Magazine is published monthly by NBB Publishing with offices at 1223 Turner St., Suite 300, Lansing, MI 48906. Postage is paid under USPS Permit #979. Subscriptions: One copy of SPORT, The Greater Lansing Sports Magazine, is mailed complimentary to qualified business addresses in the Greater Lansing metropolitan area. Residential, household, promotional, out-of-area and additional subscriptions are available for $18 per year, half of the shelf price of $3 per issue. Subscribe at: www.SportLansing.com Postmaster: Address changes should be sent to: SPORT Magazine, 1223 Turner St., Suite 300, Lansing, Michigan 48906. 4 SUMMER 2010

SPORT EB-SERVATION

Our Best Shot

Golf Issue Highlights Area Excellence BY JACK EBLING

Covering all aspects of golf in Greater Lansing in 44 pages is one of the greatest challenges we’ve had in 19 issues of SPORT.

Jim Dandy Former GLAGA President Jim Donahue (left) is just one of the many people who have made Greater Lansing golf great.

We wanted to show how golf is the game of a lifetime and a bridge between generations. We did just that in our cover story, written by former Booth Newspapers and MLive beat writer Steve Grinczel, who can take anyone’s money if his putter is hot. We hoped to compile a list of the area’s iconic holes, then pick MidMichigan’s “Dream 18.” With close to 50 nominations, we’re proud to present one mythical course – SPORT Golf Club, a par-71 layout with enough challenges and scenery for any player. That never would’ve happened without the diligence of freelance writer Tom Lang and photographer Mike Major, with help from SPORT’s new assistant editor, Jennifer Orlando, and another “Ebling and You” radio producer, Scott Eckersley. More on him later. We also want to thank everyone who made suggestions and helped with the choices, including golf historian Burton Smith, Terry Kildea of Hawk Hollow Golf Properties, Stephene Benkert of Forest Akers Golf Courses and Jack Voegler,

who plays somewhere, indoors or out, 52 weeks a year. Fifteen courses from Portland to Webberville and St. Johns to Mason were represented. Three layouts – Akers West, Eagle Eye and Hawk Hollow – contributed two holes. Twelve courses each offered one. Our plan is to play all 18 holes in one day, a marathon that should take close to 12 hours with logistical help from the courses involved. And at least one SPORT subscriber will join our group as we play Mid-Michigan’s most memorable holes. If you’d like to be considered for our “Dream 18” foursome and are an active subscriber or would like to become one, go to www.SportLansing.com and send us a 50-word e-mail about why you should be selected. Our content selections for the rest of this issue were very difficult. The good news is we have golf stories lined up through 2012, though area baseball and tennis are next on the radar. One of those stories, a long-overdue profile of an amazing athlete who should

Jack Ebling SPORT EDITOR

Jack has covered sports and much more as a writer and broadcaster in Mid-Michigan since 1978. A three-time Michigan Sportswriter of the Year, he was a 2006 inductee into the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame. He has written five books–four on Michigan State and one on the Detroit Tigers– and has contributed more than 125 pieces for national publications. The former English teacher and coach spent nearly a quarter-century as a beat writer and columnist for the Lansing State Journal and won 21 major writing awards. He became a sports radio host in 2002 and branched into news talk in 2006. Currently, he hosts “Ebling and You” weekday afternoons and co-hosts “The Jack and Tom Show” Saturdays on 1320 WILS in Lansing. A two-time graduate of MSU, he has lived in the area for 37 years and has helped to raise two remarkable young adults. 6 SUMMER 2010

Photography JIM DONAHUE

With all sorts of story ideas, we were left with two 50-foot sidehill putts: What to put in? And what to leave out?

have made our list of Greater Lansing’s Top 150 all-time athletes, is already scheduled for the September issue. Other pieces just wouldn’t wait. While playing in the Jack Breslin Golf Classic for the Ingham Regional Healthcare Foundation, I met an amazing, uplifting golf teacher. His name is Brian Bemis, and his story of losing a leg to juvenile cancer is why this magazine was created. We all face challenges on a daily basis. But some of us respond better than others. The next time you’re ready to throw a pity party, go back and reread the Bemis story. Then, be grateful for everything you have. If you’re lucky, you’ll have half his courage. One more bit of advice: If you can ever buy his tee shot for $5 in a scramble event, you need to take advantage of that chance. Thanks for the birdie, Brian. And thanks for the inspiration. You’ll also have a chance to meet outstanding players and people of all ages, from Haslett High junior Chris Beltzer to

Michigan State standout Laura Kueny to Spartans coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll to Greater Lansing Amateur Golf Association leader Jim Donahue, whose health problems didn’t prevent him from posing for a photo at Timber Ridge. Beltzer and Kueny represent the future. Slobodnik-Stoll, the Michigan PGA’s Player of the Decade, has accomplished as much with her game and others as anyone in MidMichigan golf history. And without Donahue’s perseverance, the local tournament schedule may look a lot different today. We also profile the Michigan PGA, with its headquarters at Eagle Eye, and MSU’s new Using Golf in Business class, taught by LPGA teaching pro and Spartan alum Jan Brintnall. We also take another look at golf preparedness with a new approach at State of Fitness in East Lansing. But one of the best parts of this project has been watching the passion of a new player, frequent SPORT contributor and part-time radio producer Andrea Nelson. A two-time girls basketball state champion, she’d never

swung a club until we decided to see what a few months of serious instruction could do. Her challenge became more interesting when Eckersley said he could beat her by 50 strokes at the end of the year. That means if Scott fires a 75, Andrea has to break 125 on one of her first 18-hole rounds. Since she was touring Europe on a study-abroad program, she couldn’t begin to practice till mid-July. But she has already had two lessons and says she’ll be practicing a lot in late July and August. Forest Akers teaching pro Bryan Harris better be ready to get to work. When Nelson returned to Michigan, she brought the golf bug with her. “I can’t wait to continue my lessons,” she said. “The challenge of learning a sport has piqued my interest and will drive me to become better, especially when there’s a bet involved. Fifty strokes? I think I’ll go for the win.” Don’t we all? We play for so many different reasons. But we all feel like winners often enough to come back for more memories.

SPORT FITNESS

A New Twist Core Strength Improves Scoring By rita wieber

Sure, the preparation for Core Strength Forearm, Wrist golf is less cumbersome The core, muscles of the abdominal area and and Shoulder Strength than, let’s say, preparing for lower back, is responsible for stability – an The main purpose for doing forearm, wrist integral aspect of the golf swing. There and shoulder exercises isn’t necessarily road-race running season. are literally hundreds of exercises that will to gain strength, but to prevent common But if your pre-golf fitness only improve core strength. Most are easily done at injuries. A slight weakness or muscle involves wiping the cobwebs home and require only a few minutes a day. imbalance in one area or another could cause you to compensate and cause an overoff the clubs and a few twists use injury in another area. These exercises require the uses of a with the club behind your neck, light dumbbell (2-5 pounds). These can be don’t be looking to decrease your purchased at almost any superstore. The Plank handicap anytime soon. Golf really is a physical game, even if you use a cart. The golf swing itself requires a great deal of athleticism including strength, power, flexibility, core stability, endurance and balance. Several research studies prove there are benefits of fitness conditioning programs to improve the golf game, especially by increasing clubhead speed. One study published in a 2004 British Journal of Sports Medicine said five minutes of a home exercise program performed five times a week increased clubhead speed by an average of 24 percent. A multitude of additional studies show, with the right conditioning program, any player can improve his or her golf game. Jon Pilcher, Lansing Country Club’s head golf professional, noted the difference in players who have invested time in golfspecific conditioning. “There is a night-and-day difference,” he said. “The players I know that have used personal trainers to set up conditioning programs really do hit farther. It’s amazing.” Golf-specific training isn’t vastly different from other programs. The main focus is on core strength and flexibility. With a backswing that takes only one to two seconds, a quick and efficient release of energy is what makes the shot. Core stability and improved strength can increase force, which will increase clubhead speed and, in turn, increase shot length. 8 SUMMER 2010

The plank position is one of the most efficient exercises for improving core strength. Lie face-down on the floor, then push up onto your forearms and balance on the tips of the toes. Keeping your body in a straight line, hold this position for up to one minute.

External Rotations Lie on one side. You will be working the top arm for extensions. Keep your elbow tucked at your side and flex your arm at the elbow. With the dumbbell in your hand, rotate your arm out, keeping your elbow at a 90-degree angle. Do three sets of 10 repetitions.

Side Plank Similar to the plank, this exercise works the oblique muscles or the side of the abdominals. Starting on your side, press up onto one arm, leaning on your elbow and the side of the foot with the other leg stacked on top of the support leg. Hold your top arm up in the air for balance. Hold this position on each side for up to 30 seconds.

Internal Rotations Lie on one side. You will be working the bottom arm for internal rotations, so you need to lie on a bed or bench so your arm can hang off slightly. Again, keep your upper arm tucked into your body and bend your elbow to a 90-degree angle. Rotate your arm up and down. Do three sets of 10 repetitions.

Russian Twists Sit on the floor with your knees and hips bent at a 90-degree angle. Hold a medicine ball or dumbbell weight with both hands at the center of your body. Keeping your arms low, near your thighs, swing your arms left and right as you keep your hips still and straight. Repeat three sets of 15.

Wrist Curls Sit and rest your forearms on your thighs keeping your palms up. With a thin, light weight bar in your hands, raise the bar by extending your wrists. Repeat the set with your palms facing down.

dumbbells. Alternately bring each arm up in front of you to shoulder level at a moderate pace. Do three sets of 10 repetitions.

Shoulder Rotations

Flexibility

Stand holding the dumbbells in each hand, elbows tight against your body, elbows bent at 90 degrees. Keeping palms up, rotate lower arms out and in. Change the exercise a bit by turning your palms to the side so the dumbbells are up and down, perpendicular to the floor. Do each position 12 times.

Shoulder Press Stand holding dumbbells in both hands. Simultaneously press them overhead with control. Repeat three sets of 10 repetitions.

Front Shoulder Raise Start with hands at your side holding your

“Flexibility is probably the most important aspect for golfers,” Pilcher said. “Even if you are not that strong, if you can maintain flexibility, you can play longer in life.” Stretching can be static (holding a stretch position) or dynamic (moving through a range of motion). Before playing a game of golf, dynamic stretches are best. These include the typical arm swings, trunk rotations with a club on the shoulder, side bends, leg swings, alternating toe touches and wrist extensions. After the round, static stretches are best to reduce post-game soreness. Any type of stretch is effective if done correctly. There aren’t specific stretches for golf. Every body part can be stretched, with a special focus on hips, shoulders, neck and lower back. Spending a few minutes a few times a week on conditioning for golf could be that secret to improvement you’ve been seeking. As with any fitness program, be sure to obtain medical clearance before doing something new. Specific pain or injuries should be evaluated by a physician.

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Sweet At 16 Team Beltzer Is Tough To Beat

At 16 years old, Chris Beltzer’s entourage already resembles that of a PGA Tour pro. There’s the coach, Bill Mory, who has worked with Chris both individually and as part of the youth golf program at Meridian Sun for a number of years. There’s the inner-circle of mentors in father Bill Beltzer and grandfather Neville Miller, both of whom taught Chris the game and continue to offer support in his endeavors. Lastly, there’s the manager who keeps everything together. In this case, it’s Chris’s mother, Kristin Beltzer, who does

everything from scheduling tournament appearances to picking up Subway on the way home from practice. It all began when Beltzer’s family moved to Haslett when he was 4 years old, just a short distance from the Meridian Sun Golf Club. Beltzer started by hitting golf balls

All In The Family Chris Beltzer (left) and grandfather Neville Miller share a ride and a round of golf, spanning three generations and generating great memories.

10 SUMMER 2010

around his front yard at age 6 until he was old enough to ride his bike to the nearby course. Shortly after, he joined the youth summer program founded by Mory, which featured group instruction followed by nine holes. “My hat goes off to Bill Mory and that junior program,” Kristin Beltzer said. “That was the thing. He went year after year, then we got to the point where we got him a membership so he could just go play every day. It was a great investment.” Set to enter his junior year at Haslett High, Beltzer has developed into one of the top junior players in the area. Beltzer captured first place in the flighted division at the All-City Championship at Forest Akers last summer, with his dad serving as caddy. “It was a lot of fun ’cause I knew he was right there with me,” Beltzer said. “He would keep me calmed down, and we could tell some of the other players were getting a little frustrated. He just told me to stay confident.” After making the varsity team as a freshman last spring, he received a Golf Association of Michigan membership as a Christmas present from his mother. He is currently a 2 handicap and hopes to qualify for the GAM Michigan Amateur championship this summer at Oakhurst Country Club. “I think I have the right mindset for it,” Beltzer said. “I’m confident, and I have a good temperament. If I hit a bad shot I’m not gonna hang my head over it. I just try and make the next shot that much better.” It’s a mentality honed by several years of competitive golf, as Beltzer has played in dozens of tournaments throughout the state of Michigan, at courses like Eagle Eye and The Wolverine in Grand Traverse. He won his first tournament as a 9-year-old at Meridian Sun and isn’t sure exactly how many victories he has posted since.

Photography KRISTIN BELTZER

BY dan kilbridge

for youth players intending to continue their careers at the next level. Possessing all the physical tools, it’s the little things Beltzer needs to improve – such as taking an additional club for an elevated green or keeping the wind in mind – which will determine how far he progresses at a competitive level. It’s his love of the game, however, which will keep him playing regardless. “I love going to the golf course early in the morning, just being there,” Beltzer said. “If I don’t make it to the pro level, I’d love to work at a course, manage a course or even have my own golf course.” He has plenty of time to figure it out. Beltzer’s lasting memory of attending the 2008 PGA championship at Oakland Hills reminds us of something that’s easy to forget while speaking to him – he’s only 16! “That was just fantastic to see,” Beltzer said. “I couldn’t believe how tall Jim Furyk was.”

Garrison Thompson, 20

Tourney Tested Chris Beltzer came up through the junior ranks and ranks among the area’s top high school players.

LCC engineering scholarship recipient and Everett High School graduate

“When I started to win some of those local tournaments, I started to really get serious about it,” Beltzer said. “I asked my mom if I could get into some more well-known tournaments, like the Meijer and Adams tours, and played on those a few years. Then, I went on to the Michigan Junior PGA.” For all his early success in the game, Beltzer has never been a one-sport kind of guy. Unlike so many of today’s top athletes, Beltzer has and continues to play whichever sport captures his interest. In addition to golf, he played JV baseball in the spring, arriving for the second game of doubleheaders following golf practice or matches. “He brought a lot of natural athletic ability to golf that he used in other sports,” Mory said. “I think it’s easy for him to adapt. For instance, we don’t really talk about how you hit a fade or a draw. I can stand there and say, ‘I want you to hit a fade,’ and he can stand there and think about how he’s gonna do it and hit that shot.” Given his natural talent and competitive drive, it should come as no surprise that Beltzer is already pondering his future in the game. He hopes to play college golf and recently attended a seminar at Hawk Hollow

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Kueny Takes Aim Dad And Daughter A Winning Team

Even for the most decorated female golfer in Michigan State history, taking the next career step can be nerve-racking.

Spartan Standout Laura Kueny is determined to take the next step and move from Big Ten brilliance to the LPGA Tour. 12 SUMMER 2010

Laura Kueny, the Big Ten’s 2010 Golfer of the Year, will be playing on the Duramed Futures Tour this summer, the equivalent of the men’s Nationwide Tour. Moreover, Kueny and ex-Spartan star Allison Fouch played in the U.S. Women’s Open at Oakmont Golf Club on July 8-9. Fouch placed 54th, while Kueny missed the cut after 36 holes. “Now every shot really counts,” she said. “You could miss a $5,000 putt. Growing up, my parents never wanted me to have a real job. They wanted me to focus on golf. “Now, I have to take that to another level. The average person works a 9-to-5 job, so I have to treat golf like a 9-to-5 job.” The pressure of starting her new job will be eased by the presence of a familiar co-worker. Kueny’s father, Jim, a long-time head professional at Lincoln Golf Club in Muskegon, is her caddy and coach. “It’s very special,” she said. “I think he really loves it as well. He quit his job to do this with me. And he has a lot to do with it. He knows the game better than me.” Jim Kueny said he was ready for a change in his life. “Working at a golf course, I wasn’t able to follow Laura around as much as I’d like,” he said. “Often times I’d be waiting for a phone call to see how she did. “As we got to this part of her career, I don’t want to miss out on this. I’ve been in

this business for 30 years. . . . It might be a good time to break away from this.” Laura said her father is a calming presence for her when she’s on the course. “I’m totally relaxed when he’s there next to me,” she said. “He always calms my nerves down. . . . He reminds me I’m the best player out there.” Jim cited a particular example of how the duo works well together. On the 35th hole of the U.S. Open qualifying tournament, Laura pushed a tee shot into a water hazard. As they approached the hazard, Laura and Jim saw the ball had stayed out of the water but sat in tangled weeds. Laura had to decide whether to play the ball or take a drop and add a penalty stroke. “I wanted to hit that shot,” Jim said. “But we talked it over. Ultimately, she said, ‘I want to take a drop,’ and I agreed with it. “We went with her decision, and it worked out because we qualified.” And the anticipation of playing in one of the most prestigious tournaments in women’s golf is starting to build, Laura said. “At first, it didn’t really sink in,“ she said. “But now, I’ve thought about it, and I’m so excited and so nervous at the same time. I didn’t think I’d be here at the age of 22. “Paula Kramer, Morgan Pressel, they started out really young. Maybe someday I can be as good as they are and I get a chance to prove it.”

Photography MSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

BY TIM WEATHERHEAD

Sweet Swing Laura Kueny has all the shots to take her game to the next level and represent the Spartan program on the LPGA Tour.

Laura’s golf game flourished during her four-year career at MSU. After finishing her senior season this spring, Laura owns the best career stroke average in school history at 74.60. She had 16 career top-five finishes, 23 top-10 finishes and won two tournaments. “I absolutely loved my four years here,” she said. “I’ve met a lot of great people and made a lot of memories. I’ll always be labeled a Spartan. I’m ready to go represent on Tour.” Despite golf and class, Laura said she took time out to enjoy life as an MSU student. “I played basketball in high school, so the basketball games are probably my favorite,” she said. “And I go to football games. But that’s mostly for the tailgating.” Golf fans will come to see Kueny one day, when her LPGA dreams are realized. At least one longtime evaluator and developer of talent thinks that can happen – if not this year, eventually. “We’ve had some really good players who’ve gone through the program and done relatively well (at the pro level),” MSU golf matriarch and Hall of Famer Mary Fossum said. “There hasn’t been anybody who has scored as well as her. “The possibilities for her are really high. She’s a real scrapper. It’s not that she has every shot in the bag. But what she doesn’t have, she’ll work to get. I think she’s gonna make it. I really do.” SUMMER 2010

SPORT QUICK HIT

Fit Fore Golf

State Of Fitness Can Shave Strokes

After leaving her job as a collegiate athletic trainer to become a personal trainer, Rebecca Klinger picked up the game of golf. With more free time in her new job, she could practice a game she had always enjoyed from afar. “The swing itself brought me to the game,” she said, referring to the complex movement golfers must make when swinging a club. But even as a physically fit woman, there were physical obstacles to the game for the co-owner of State of Fitness, 2655 E. Grand River Ave.

“I had swing faults that I couldn’t overcome,” she said. And having “great body awareness” as a former competitive ice skater and now a ballroom dancer, Klinger said it was frustrating that she couldn’t fix her problem. It wasn’t until she did some rehabilitative and evaluative exercises that she found out she had an asymmetrical body – a common problem for many golfers. She said she couldn’t rotate to the left as far as she could to the right, and she had better stability in her left hip than her right. With the knowledge of her physical limitations, Klinger began to remedy them by doing specific exercises. The frustration began to go away as she was becoming even more aware of her body as a golfer. But it’s not just amateur golfers like Klinger

who have physical limitations affecting their games. Katherine Hull, an LPGA tour player, called upon the help of Klinger to bring her physical fitness up to par. Klinger, the only person in Michigan to be certified as both a fitness and medical golf instructor by the Titleist Performance Institute, began working with Hull in 2006. Klinger said the physical fitness of professional golfers is important because “one shot could mean 30 grand.” And while golf fitness has been more popular on the men’s tour for quite some time, Klinger said she is seeing an increase in golf fitness on the women’s tour as well. Partly because of what Klinger and Hull still do – which includes exercises to address body symmetry, yoga, deep breathing and nutrition – Hull won the 2008 Canadian

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Open. The success hasn’t stopped there as Hull’s world rankings have risen. To achieve such success, Klinger works in conjunction with golf coaches to help train golfers, but leaves the golf part up to the coaches. “I don’t evaluate the golf swing,” she said. “I just see how symmetrical (the players) are. I look to see how I can make their body better for golf.” Klinger’s training opportunities aren’t just available to professional players; golfers here in Mid-Michigan can work on their golf physical fitness, too. Starting in 2008, Klinger began offering Fit Fore Golf classes and individual lessons. While the classes will start up again this fall, the individual lessons can be scheduled at any time. During an individual lesson, Klinger said a more rigorous evaluation will take place with a corresponding program implemented to meet that player’s needs. Klinger said group classes are also a great way for participants to get a “good base,” then continue to learn what they need to work on in their own time. “Self discovery is important; on a golf course it’s just you,” she said. That is why her group and individual sessions are held in rooms with mirrors so participants

can both feel and see what they are doing and make connections of what they need to work on. Each class includes a three-minute lecture in the beginning that discusses the theme of that day followed by warm-ups, core work, and upper and lower body strengthening, before ending the session with yoga. Klinger said course participants will also be introduced to power development, because “if you look at a golf swing, it’s a very powerful, high-velocity movement.” Klinger has received a lot of positive feedback from those who have trained with her. Many of her golfers have increased their club speed and become more flexible. One such golfer who took part in two of Klinger’s Fit Fore Golf classes is John Lindert, director of golf at the Country Club of Lansing. He said he is a “firm believer” in finding a trainer to help with his own fitness and the fitness of other golfers because it supplements what is taught by golf instructors like himself. “[Golf instructors] teach a swing based on no limitations, but unfortunately people do have them,” he said. He said people like Klinger help golfers overcome these limitations.

Unique Approach Rebecca Klinger, co-owner of State of Fitness in Okemos, is helping players discover their hidden potential.

Klinger admits purchasing quality clubs is an important aspect of improving one’s golf game but it’s not the only part. She said golfers tend to spend more time and money on buying clubs than on the most important piece of equipment of all – their bodies.

Maximize your golf potential. Golf performance program

• increase strength and flexibility • increase stamina • lower your score

For more information:

517.708.8828 Individual and group classes available for Men, Women, Juniors & Seniors Rebecca Klinger, Co-owner, of State of Fitness is a certified golf fitness and golf medical instructor. Rebecca is the personal trainer to LPGA Tour Professional Katherine Hull.

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Golf Brings Generations, Families Together BY Steve grinczel

16 SUMMER 2010

Photography J. Robin sumbler

Game Of A Lifetime

Shots To Remember Jack and Craig Chambers (left); Sarina Gleason flanked by son Ethan and grandfather Bruce Goodrich (center); and Al and Sally Vince (right) share special moments with friends and family.

Video games aside, Sarina Gleason can’t go out and play a round of NASCAR with her 85-year-old grandfather and 7-year-old son. They’ll never share an NFL moment by donning helmets and pads and unleashing mayhem upon one another. Sure, they can shoot hoops together at the schoolyard, but they’ll have about as much in common with the game played by LeBron James as Lady Gaga’s fashion choices have with Queen Elizabeth’s. Sarina’s boyfriend, Paul Gilmet, a former college hockey player, looks like he can still bodycheck Justin Abdelkader and live to tell about it. But the others? SUMMER 2010

Game Of A Lifetime Yet, one day this summer, using fundamentally the same equipment as Tiger Woods and competing in an arena that shares characteristics with Augusta National, Sarina, grandpa Bruce Goodrich, who is long retired from the grocery business, her little Ethan and Paul will play golf – maybe even against each other. Perhaps they’ll make Paul, a 2 handicap, play from the championship tees while they play from the forward placements. Maybe they’ll make him start with a stroke or three on each hole. Maybe they’ll play a scramble, which eliminates their poorest shots and gives each team member an opportunity to contribute. There are a number of ways to even the game, which is why golf is one of the few sports that bridges generations, transcends skill levels and stokes familial and friendly rivalries. Sarina will never know what it’s like to soar through the air and dunk a basketball, but she surely can relate to the frustration Phil Mickelson feels when he hooks one into the woods. If Ethan rolls in a 30-footer to make a birdie on the 18th green, is his joy any different from Mickelson’s? And isn’t Mickelson’s glee

“They weren’t hickory shafts,” said Bruce, who played frequently at Michigan State University’s Forest Akers and other area courses, as well as down South. “I was fairly good and I played quite regularly. I loved the competition. And when I went out there, it was to win.” Though he considered himself only a recreational player, Bruce occasionally broke 80 and has two documented holes-in-one. Sarina’s involvement is on a much different level. She took her first lesson after graduating from Western Michigan University because knowing how to play golf would prove to be useful while entertaining clients in her new sales career. “I have to be honest, I thought golf was one of the most boring sports,” she said. “Grandpa used to sit and watch it for hours, and I was like, ‘Why is this so interesting?’ You develop a completely new appreciation for it when you start playing, and then it’s fun to watch because you have an understanding and appreciation for the skill behind it.” After taking a sales job with TDS Telecom in Kalamazoo, playing golf almost was part of her job description. “We did a lot of scrambles because TDS

“I’m a scramble person. . . it’s about the camaraderie and being aroung friends.” - Sarina Gleason, free-lance public relations and marketing specialist

exactly a Hiawatha Elementary School firstgrader’s when he makes a great shot to win a championship? The face of golf may have belonged to Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Woods over the years. Its lifeblood flows through the likes of Sarina, who was introduced to the game by her grandfather during summer visits to Holland and the Lake Michigan cottage that has been in the family for 100 years. “One of my fondest memories is of grandpa coming back to the cottage after golf,” Sarina said. “He was always playing golf, and there were a couple of times when we would play together.” Bruce, the son of Goodrich’s Shop-Rite founder Albert Goodrich, took up the game that has spanned nearly all of his lifetime as a 17-year-old student at old Lansing Central High School. The details of his introduction to golf have faded, but Bruce is adamant about his first set of clubs. 18 SUMMER 2010

sponsored a lot of outings,” Sarina said. “You could do one almost every single week. Most of the golf I played then was businessrelated. It was part of doing the job.” Sarina’s golf activity waned after switching to a marketing position that required less client interaction in Lansing. It picked up again 3½ years ago after meeting Paul, who played competitively for Alpena High School and New England College in Henniker, N.H. In her new role as a free-lance public relations and marketing specialist, Sarina is again hitting the links with old business contacts and friends, but without delusions of golf grandeur. “I’m a scramble person,” she said. “You’re not going to hear my (average) score ever. For me, it’s about the camaraderie and being around friends. What makes golf unique is the fact that you can still enjoy it and be very competitive even if you don’t play like a pro.”

With Paul’s instruction, usually at Wheatfield Valley Golf Course in Williamston, Ethan is next in line to pick up Bruce’s mantle. “Once in awhile he grips it and rips it,” said Paul, a sales rep for LaFarge Cement. “He just wants to hit the ball and have fun. I don’t care if he picks his foot up, takes a big step and then smacks it. Each time I try to teach him one thing. We’ll go to the driving range, and then we’ll play a little three-hole gig. If the first hole’s a par-5, he’ll play it from 150 yards, and we’ll count how many shots it takes him to get in from there. He loves it.” Ethan got his first set of clubs as an Easter gift from his grandparents, Bruce and Shirley, in 2009. “The first time it was hard, the second time I got better, and the next time I’ll be even better,” Ethan said, mouthing the words of someone who’s been hooked by golf for life.

For Jack and Craig Chambers, golf time and family time aren’t mutually exclusive terms. In fact, they’re inclusive in ways sure to evoke a certain wistfulness. The father-son duo plays three or more times a week, usually at College Fields Golf Club in Okemos but at various courses throughout mid-Michigan and around the state as well. There are many fathers who don’t get to be with their sons that often during the course of year. “We’ve been doing this since I was 10 years old,” said 48-year-old Craig, who works three 12-hours shifts a week as a registered nurse with Sparrow Urgent Care. “It’s nice to have this,” says Jack, a widower. “We just love to play golf and he puts up with me. Someone will say, ‘Hey, we’re playing golf today, how about meeting at Groesbeck (Golf Course in Lansing)?’ Golf has kept us together.” On this occasion, the Chambers family portrait could be snapped in the clubhouse of the Emerald Golf Course in St. Johns. Craig just shot a 78 while son-in-law, Nick Klaver, a St. Johns police officer, carded a 79. Jack, 68, a retired Oldsmobile inspector, fired a 99 from the senior tees. Craig, Jack and Nick walk every course where power carts aren’t mandatory, and Craig and Nick always play from “the tips,” the championship tees. “We play from the tips everywhere we go, even Eagle Eye (at 7,308 yards),” said Craig, whose bid to play on the Nationwide Tour fell short in a Monday qualifier four

years ago. “Playing golf by yourself is boring, and now that he’s retired, he can play seven days a week if he wants to. It’s nice to play with your father and have somebody there to talk to.” Craig played on the Laingsburg High School team and sports a heady 0.5 handicap. As a member of the St. Johns High team, Nick qualified for the state tournament, but bowed out early after a rough opening round. While it’s no holds barred in the trashtalk department, the competition is more internal than external for Craig and Jack. “You always make a few shots out there that bring you back – every round,” Jack said. “I think everybody’s always in search of that perfect round.” The dynamic is considerably different between Craig and Nick, who seven years ago quickly earned his future father-in-law’s approval once the talk turned to golf. “We hit it off the day I met him,” Craig said. “We do have the golf thing in common, and it grew from there. We are seriously competitive. Every time we go out, we want to beat each other bad.” “When I went and met the parents, we started to talk about golf, and then it was about what courses we want to play,” Nick said. “We started playing all the time, and it definitely brought us closer.” Craig and Nick enter the various Greater Lansing amateur tournaments every year, but the highlight for Craig and Jack came last year at the Laingsburg Homecoming Scramble at Highland Hills Golf Club in DeWitt. “Anybody who’s an alumnus of Laingsburg High School can play,” Craig said. “We’ve played it for a long, long, long time and always finished second or third.” “Then, we finally won it at 14-under,” Jack said. “That was pretty cool,” Craig said. Al And Sal Al Vince and his wife, Sally, use golf as a way to bond with family members in Tennessee and Michigan, whatever the season or format of play.

As far as Al Vince is concerned, the family that sprays golf balls together stays together. When he and wife, Sally, pack up to visit daughter, Robyn, a former Holt High soccer standout, in Knoxville, Tenn., their golf bags are as important as their suitcases, “unless we know there’s going to be snow,” Al said. And when Robyn, an intensive care unit nurse at the University of Tennessee Hospital, and husband Brad Maxwell, an x-ray technician at a different Knoxville hospital, come North, the tee time for a family scramble at College Fields has

already been set. Al teams with Robyn, the foursome’s least-skilled golfer, and Sally and Brad are partners. “We put the No. 1 seed with the No. 4 seed, so to speak,” Al said. “Brad and I hit the ball about the same, and my wife played for Ferris State in the early ’70s. A scramble is just the best way for us to have some entertainment because it would be tough for everybody to play their own ball all the way around.

“It’s a lot more fun to just pick up your ball and drop it where somebody hit a decent shot and everybody contributes. It’s four hours of knocking the ball around, and we have a good time doing it. The loser usually has to clean up after dinner. More than anything, though, it’s something all four of us can do together, and for a long time to come.” That’s the way golf is – a joiner of generations. SUMMER 2010

Mid-Michigan HOLE

FOREST AKERS WEST HOLE 18

FOREST AKERS WEST HOLE 8

OAK LANE HOLE 9

EL DORADO HOLE 7

CC OF LANSING HOLE 17

WALNUT HILLS HOLE 8

GROESBECK HOLE 18

HAWK HOLLOW HOLE 17

HAWK HOLLOW HOLE 18

Not The Longest, Not The Toughest, Just A Ton Of Fun To Play

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 OUT

CHAMPIONSHIP

425 233 436 286 220 423 401 548 422 3394

MEN

388 182 404 276 190 388 330 497 402 3057

WOMEN

325 125 343 265 114 341 284 421 344 2562

PAR

4 3 4 4 3 4 4 5 4 35

HANDICAP

2 17 2 17 16 1 3 5 2

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EAGLE EYE HOLE 18

EAGLE EYE HOLE 17

COLLEGE FIELDS HOLE 16

CHISHOLM HILLS HOLE 13

PORTLAND CC HOLE 17

TIMBER RIDGE HOLE 18

THE EMERALD HOLE 17

ROYAL SCOT HOLE 11

FOREST AKERS EAST HOLE 17

n’s “Dream 18”

T 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 IN TOTAL HCP NET

360 423 451 455 393 188 262 145 588 3265 6659

329 392 443 415 393 150 254 130 525 3031 6088

251 325 390 355 300 112 241 101 430 2505 5067

4 4 5 4 4 3 4 3 5 36 71

10 4 16 6 5 6 16 8 6

SUMMER 2010 21

Mid-Michigan’s “Dream 18” 15 Courses, 1 Incredible Round To Remember

Hawk Hollow Hole 18 Par 4, 425/388/325 yards, 2 handicap Descriptions of the closing hole at Hawk Hollow suggest the fairway has a generous landing area off the tee. Yet because that landing area slopes to the right to Hawk Lake, the driving zone shrinks tremendously. The approach shot to the dog-leg-right, two-tiered, undulating green requires a carry over the water, or the decision to lay-up left and try making an up-and-down from well off the green. During the 2008 Michigan PGA Championship, the eventual champion, Scott Hebert of Traverse City, hit his approach to five feet and made the putt. That birdie clinched the new competitive course record of 64.

HOLE DESCRIPTIONS BY TOM LANG

This par 3 throws fear into almost every golfer, which is an odd contrast to the fact this challenging hole is pleasing to the eye. Hawk Lake guards the entire right side and behind the green, but with two deep bunkers to the left, golfers are forced to pinch the ball into the green –which slopes toward the water so it seems no place is safe except in the hole. Earn a birdie and you’ve achieved near greatness – score a par and it will feel like a birdie. This hole was the deciding factor in the U.S. Senior Open qualifier last year. The winner made birdie while his fellow competitor made double bogey, a 3-shot swing where the tournament was decided by two drastically different tee shots.

4 3 Par 4, 286/276/265, 17 handicap

Par 4, 436/404/343 yards, 2 handicap

Par 3, 233/182/125 yards, 17 handicap 22 SUMMER 2010

bunkered, elevated green. But what’s more important about Groesbeck is the heritage of keeping golf affordable for the masses, hosting dozens of City Championships, and a lesser-known fact that Groesbeck was home to the Lansing Eastern golf team, which in 1979 won the state championship – the last time an inner-city school won the Class A boys title.

Walnut Hills Country Club Hole 8

Groesbeck Hole 18

Hawk Hollow Hole 17

Photos by mike major

Groesbeck is the last of four Lansing municipal courses still standing – and for good reason. It went through a major renovation many years ago to add water hazards via an improved drainage design, and the nines were flipped so current day 18 used to be No. 9. With trees all along the left and water along the right, this already long par 4 becomes longer with an uphill trek to a well-

This drivable par 4 is a great risk/reward hole that is heavily treed left and right. Bunkers protect the left and right, leaving a small gap up the middle to try holding a pear-shaped green that drops off on both sides, causing very difficult up-and-down saves. The very skinny green is 37 yards deep, making for interesting pin variety. The left-side bunker is particularly difficult to escape because it’s 20-feet below the green. More than a few golfers have stepped to the tee thinking eagle, but walked off the green marking a double-bogey on the scorecard. Karrie Webb is tied for second all-time career low round for an LPGA pro thanks to her 11-under par 61 at the second round of the 2000 Oldsmobile Classic.

Photography MIke major

SELECTIONS BY SPORT’S GOLF PANEL

Mid-Michigan’s “Dream 18”

Two great shots get you to the green, but a heavily-slopping putting surface requires two more great shots just to walk off with a par.

9 7 5 8 10 6 Forest Akers West Hole 18

Country Club of Lansing Hole 17

Par 4, 422/402/344 yards, 2 handicap

Par 3, 220/190/114 yards, 16 handicap

Oak Lane Hole 9

This par 3 gets more than its fair share of attention at the 101-yearold private club since it’s the one hole on the course where water seriously comes into play. A pond on the right runs the length of 17 and cuts in front of the green. A large tree guards the left, so right-handers fading the ball in while trying to steer away from the water have two obstacles to navigate. The green is small, severely slopped and well bunkered to make those end-of-round side bets even more interesting. “When it comes to tournaments, No. 17 can be the match maker or the deal breaker,” said head pro John Lindert.

Long par 4’s are bothersome enough that when they are uphill it can add to the pain – or the gain if you’ve got game. The final hole going out is lined by trees left and right and a tee-shot landing area that’s uphill. Birdie or par can only be achieved with two long, accurate shots back-to-back into the green, which is large but surrounded by trees – with an additional drop off to the left due to slight elevation. Overall, Oak Lane is considered to have some of the best greens in mid-Michigan – enjoy.

Par 4, 401/330/284 yards, 3 handicap

Forest Akers West Hole 8

Par 5, 548/497/421 yards, 5 handicap

El Dorado Hole 7

Par 4, 423/388/341 yards, 1 handicap

No. 7 on the White course is indicative of the Matthews family’s design that relies more on doglegs and hazards than overall length to challenge the best. While the 428-yard hole is not the longest par four on the property, a nasty dog-leg right with trees on both sides forces a longerthan-normal approach to the green, which is guarded in the front by a creek. 24 SUMMER 2010

This par five runs along US-127 northbound, and it provides a glimpse of courses found at the northern end of that highway at the top of our “mitten.” The hole turns slightly left after the tee shot as it cuts through vast numbers of evergreens and hardwoods. Three solid shots gets golfers to the green that’s slightly elevated and runs diagonally from right front to back left, protected by a deep bunker at the left front. There’s not much trouble along the way – length is the biggest obstacle – but enjoy the beautiful ride.

This par four dogleg left requires excellent distance control off the tee. Drive it too far and golfers risk settling into sand traps and have a huge Weeping Willow blocking the approach. Worse yet, hook it a little left and the drive can slide into the pond further downhill. However, leave the tee shot short and golfers are left with trying to stop a long iron approach shot into a slopping green with a drop off on all four sides – and deep bunkers to boot. Former MSU All-American and twotime Michigan Open champ Ryan Brehm pared this tough hole after finding trouble, to clinch the last Big Ten championship for the men’s team (2008).

Forest Akers East Hole 17

Par 4, 360/329/251 yards, 10 handicap

Some golfers don’t appreciate a blind uphill tee shot, but at 17 keep it to the middleright and you’re golden. However, playing the hole well requires a long enough drive to get up onto or over the ridge to make sure the green is visible for the approach shot. But it’s not simple. The hole has a slight turn to the left and two bunkers guard the left side of the green, making a back-left pin placement even tougher. Overall, this hole also looks nice as it’s one of the few East holes with a good number of trees, which are less abundant on the more-open East course.

A Green Leader in Michigan’s Hear tland

• First utility in Michigan with a goal-driven policy to acquire renewable energy. • Built Michigan’s largest solar panel array in 2008, preventing the emission of 85 tons of greenhouse gases each year. • 2009 “Energy Partner” award winner from the U.S. Department of Environmental Quality for our renewable, landfill gas-to-electricity energy project. • Today, we power more than 10,000 Lansing-area homes with electricity generated from landfill gas – dramatically reducing the emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. • A partner with General Motors and local governments to create a network of charging stations for all-electric vehicles. • We’ve given away more than 7,000 trees to customers in the past four years, and more than 35,000 energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs since last September. • Our nationally-recognized LED streetlight system near the state Capitol uses 78 percent less electricity, virtually eliminating light pollution. • In 2009, we were Michigan’s first utility with a state-mandated, energy-efficiency program to benefit customers and the environment. • Our award-winning, all-volunteer Adopt a River program serves as a model for other rivernurturing efforts across Michigan.

The Lansing Board of Water & Light Michigan’s largest public utility, now celebrating its 125th year of service to mid-Michigan.

Mid-Michigan’s “Dream 18”

13 11 15 Royal Scot Hole 11

Par 4, 423/392/325 yards, 4 handicap

Standing at the tee creates thoughts of cutting the corner of the dog-leg right, but if the drive doesn’t carry long enough you’re all wet because the marsh guards most of the fairways’ right side and around the back of the green. Avoiding the water too much flirts with out-of-bounds to the left. The green slopes away on the approach with a bunker on the left, but too far right and the bank will vault your ball into the water. This long par four requires two great shots just to reach and hold the green.

Timber Ridge Hole 18 Par 4, 455/415/355 yards, 6 handicap

This closing hole on the local course that most-resembles “Up-North” Michigan golf is one of the toughest par 4’s around. The tee shot is fairly straight forward – avoid the trees on the left but don’t go too far right. If so, you’re too far away on the slight dog-leg left for an approach shot clearing the pond on the left that partially covers the front of the green – otherwise golfers must lay up and have no hope at birdie. A huge old oak tree holds its ground just to the left of the green, so right-handed slicers have more to navigate reaching the green, which is guarded by three bunkers to the right. This is one of the prettiest holes to look at but one of the hardest to conquer.

Chisholm Hills Hole 13 Par 3, 188/150/112 yards, 6 handicap

No. 13 is a full carry over water on the 188-yard par 3 from the back tees. It’s another one of those holes that looks really nice – with trees framing the back – so don’t get lulled to sleep, because it’s difficult. Combine the carry over water with a large bunker protecting the right front and golfers will face the most difficult par 3 on the course – but holesin-one have been had. Once reaching the putting surface, the undulating green will still give golfers a workout.

14 16 12 The Emerald Hole 17

Par 5, 451/443/390 yards, 16 handicap No. 17 is one of those reachable par fives that calls out your name and whispers into golfers’ ears, “go for it.” The tee shot can be intimidating with traffic racing by on US-27 along the left side, but a nice drive is aided with extra yardage by the fairway’s downhill run after the halfway ridge. But the approach can be tricky due to a stream that tightens the fairway approach to the green, closing the gap for those big hitters going for it in two. The green is elevated and fast, back to front. Score well by staying below the hole and it’s one that brings golfers back.

26 SUMMER 2010

Portland Country Club Hole 17 Par 4, 393/393/300 yards, 5 handicap

A longer par 4 from the tips like No. 17 would normally require pulling out the driver, but a creek running across the fairway requires a second thought on club selection. The approach shot requires just the right distance because if the ball flies this elevated green that slopes back to front, an up-and-down from behind the green will be one of the tougher shots of the day. The course overall is shorter than most, but the hilly terrain and the small greens framed by trees and bunkers make for a good test of skill.

College Fields Hole 16 Par 4, 262/254/241 yards, 16 handicap

On a course with plenty of risk built in, Hole 16 is the most risk/reward hole at College Fields. The green is definitely reachable from the tee for a shot at eagle putt, but first the battle is keeping the ball out of the bunkers left or marshy nature preserve on the right. How you play the shot makes the hole really hard or fairly easy. Most golfers like to tell, or hear, a good story. And this short par 4 is the type of hole that makes for an interesting story when you’re done – the question is whether or not it’s a story golfers will want to tell.

18 17 5 Eagle Eye Hole 17

Eagle Eye Hole 18

Par 3, 145/130/101 yards, 8 handicap

Par 5, 588/525/430 yards, 6 handicap

The Island Green. Enough said. Tee shots have to land on the green or it’s wet – there’s no bail-out area or lay-up. How the 17th Hole at Eagle Eye received a handicap rating of 8 upon its own track is hard to believe and shows how challenging Eagle Eye can be – considering the par-3 hole replicates the TPC Sawgrass island green that PGA Tour players consistently rank in the top-five hardest in the country. Just landing a tee shot on the green has been known often to make grown men squeal with delight. Pete Dye’s protégé Chris Lutzke built Eagle Eye and Dye gave his student the blessing to replicate one of the country’s finest tests of steely nerves.

The finishing hole on one of Michigan’s highest rated courses is first pleasing to the eye with its scenic views of the lake to the right and distant clubhouse. But one part of the challenge is trying to reach an elevated green – one that is extra large for no-twothe-same pin placements – when you’re most tired at round’s end. One local golfer quipped “the water and heather (left side) give you claustrophobia.” A bonus feature: very few 19th holes in mid-Michigan can match such a relaxing view watching golfers finish their round – on No. 9 or 18 – than the elevated deck of the Eagle Eye clubhouse – especially at sunset.

Royal Pain? Number 14 at Royal Scot can be a hole to remember with a memory-making shot or a round-ruining score.

Benefit ting sparrow children ’ s center

Tim STaudT’S ulTimaTe golf ouTing

SparTan marching Band f o r k i d s c o n c e r t

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Michigan State University | East Lansing, Michigan

Okemos, Michigan

Forest Akers Golf Courses 8:30 a.m. Shotgun Start

Hosted by Tim and Cathy Staudt 3:00 p.m.

presenting sponsor

For more information or to register for these events call Joy Wiseman at 517.364.5691 or e-mail at joy.wiseman@sparrow.org

The GLAGA Saga 18 Questions For Area Pioneer Jim Donahue BY Burton smith

For those not familiar with golf in Mid-Michigan, Jim Donahue was one of the true leaders in the formation and organization of the Greater Lansing Amateur Golf Association. GLAGA was formed in 1981. Thus, this marks its 30th year in the Lansing area. We recently sat down with Donahue to get the complete GLAGA story, from those first meetings of golfers, golf course managers and PGA professionals. Though he has been slowed by recent heart trouble, Donahue was more than willing to grant time for our conversation, along with another former GLAGA president, Tim Russell.

The Front Nine SPORT: What prompted the forming of GLAGA? DONAHUE: There had been a growing number of entrants in the All-City Medal Play

Tournament and, aside from the Spring and Fall Best-Ball Tournaments, not very many other individual public events were scheduled. It became obvious that single courses like Groesbeck (Municipal Golf Course) could not accommodate so many players, even in mid-summer. SPORT: Where was the first meeting? DONAHUE: In the upstairs banquet room at Highland Hills Golf Course in DeWitt. SPORT: Besides yourself, who attended? DONAHUE: Though Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure to miss someone, other attendees were Jim St. Germain, Don

Ballard, Carol Rapson, Dr. Tom Ochsner, Dick Wakulsky, Mike Stelter and Jack Ebling.

28 SUMMER 2010

SPORT: Were any other programs available to area golfers before? DONAHUE: Yes. There was the Greater Lansing Publinx Association, but there may have been some financial issues. SPORT: We know there were a number of members focused on promoting junior golf. What venues hosted those first GLAGA junior golf programs? DONAHUE: There were teaching groups which met at Forest Akers at Michigan State, Royal Scot, and at Dwight Rich Middle School. PGA Pros Ken Horvath and Steve Ruthenberg were instrumental in offering their facilities at MSU to GLAGA junior golfers. SPORT: How many junior attendees were there? DONAHUE: We had over 100 juniors. One notable individual who attended was MSU standout Ryan Miller, better known recently as the goalie for Team USA in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. MSU was also instrumental in bringing in PGA Tour player Jim Gallagher Jr. for junior golf clinics. (NOTE - Gallagher went on to a successful PGA Tour Career, highlighted by the 1991 Tour Championship at Olympic Club in San Francisco. Gallagher was also on the victorious American team which won the 1993 Ryder Cup at the Belfry in England. Gallagher defeated Seve Ballesteros in his Sunday Singles match.) SPORT: What were some of the early

obstacles?

Photography MIKE MAJOR and jim donahue

DONAHUE: We made it clear this was not another summer activity class. Most of the parents were concerned with their children getting good instruction, and it seemed impossible they were getting golf instruction for just $5. SPORT: Who were some of the earliest sponsors of GLAGA? DONAHUE: Again, Golf MSU was a principle sponsor. Others I recall were Royal Scot, Chisholm Hills, Rapid Print, Greater Lansing Food Equipment Co, and DeMarco’s Restaurant. SPORT: Are you familiar with the current GLAGA board members? DONAHUE: I know Russ Cunningham is a member, I believe Larry Meirndorf, Smith Patterson and Gray Tuttle have been board members for some time.

The Back Nine SPORT: How did the idea of the Reniger

Tournament start? DONAHUE: From my perspective, it seemed there was a need to offer better players from both public and private courses in the Lansing area a weekend medal-play tournament at the end of the season. There seemed to be enough local interest to offer an invitational-style event for 50-70 players, though we may have sent out more invitations than that. Alvin “Bud” Reniger was the obvious choice, since his name was synonymous with excellence, having won four All-City Medal Play Championships. SPORT: What are the hidden “gems” of the GLAGA? DONAHUE: Maintaining the integrity of golf, a firm commitment to helping junior golfers and, finally, giving a solid value to its members.

problem with amateur golf in the area? DONAHUE: As I read it, the current

problem isn’t facilities, though there is something to be said for picking up your own shag balls. It’s the lack of access to nine-hole facilities. There isn’t a recognized nine-hole course in Lansing where you could walk/ride/go to practice and learn the game, the way you could at Waverly. SPORT: What are some solutions? DONAHUE: There could be more

opportunities for people learning the game to play nine holes or less. It would make sense to consider another nine-hole course for the area. Also, it

SPORT: Over three decades, what’s the biggest difference in the courses in the Lansing area? DONAHUE: That’s easy. Going from having a number of nine-hole courses available for open play to nearly all of them being closed. No more Red Cedar, Waverly, Sycamore, Par-Mor and The Players Club. A lot of memories lost. SPORT: Was there resistance to the first Challenge Cup? DONAHUE: The Challenge Cup was to be similar to the Ryder Cup - an early match between public and private course players. Initially, the private courses weren’t offered as venues. It was a Friday best-ball, Saturday scramble, and Sunday true alternate shot - this differed from the Ryder Cup in that tee shots were not designated on alternate holes. Alternate shot isn’t played by many people. And there was some learning on both sides. SPORT: Are there any unsung heroes of Lansing golf? DONAHUE: There are going to be some names I do not mention, but early pioneers who come to mind are Al Besselink, Reggie Myles, Art Prior, Dick Letts, Al Rosseter and the Clark brothers. All made a lasting impression. SPORT: In your view, what’s the biggest

Mister President Jim Donahue was a key player in the formation of the Greater Lansing Amateur Golf Association. seems everyone is now practicing or playing at the same time here. It’s Michigan. Obviously, you take what you can get. SPORT: What is your most memorable moment on the golf course? DONAHUE: The entire West Coast trip organized by my oldest son (Brian) 15 years ago. Everything on that trip, from the courses, the flights, the rentals to playing golf with my closest friends… SPORT: You have a chance to play one last course – where…and with whom? DONAHUE: Augusta National Golf Club with Jim Dickey, Arlin Dell and Ron LaParl. SUMMER 2010

SPORT Visit www.SportLansing.com or call (517) 455-7810 to subscribe. 30 SUMMER 2010

Zero Handicap Brian Bemis Teaches Us About Golf, Life BY Jack ebling

Brian Bemis wants you to love the game of golf as much as he does. Not a pro? Not a problem No right leg? No real loss. Not when perseverance is par for the course. Bemis, a childhood cancer survivor, has been without a limb since Feb. 23, 1987. But he has never lost his sense of humor, even when life has been deadly serious. “I don’t think I do anything to deserve this kind of attention,” Bemis said after conducting lessons at Hawk Hollow. “I just want to help people get better at golf. There’s nothing more inspiring than that.” Someone should’ve handed Bemis a mirror. If he didn’t exactly conquer Ewing sarcoma, he fought it to a standoff. The story starts in Charlotte, three weeks before his fourth birthday. Suddenly, a tumor in his femur stole a childhood. “I went from going 110 miles an hour to barely being able to walk,” Bemis said. “The next day, boom, I was at Mott Children’s Hospital. I had chemo, radiation, the whole kit and kaboodle.” He’d be in school two or three weeks, then gone a week – when he was lucky. Bemis missed 110 days of classes one year and needed a home tutor to graduate on time. “I had chemo for two straight years,” he said. “That was way tougher than radiation. After chemo, I couldn’t eat for three straight days.” As much as Bemis hated drugs, the inactivity was worse. When he could, he played a mean second base, hit even better as a linebacker and loved hockey and lacrosse.

Bemis’ doctors tried to be upbeat. But by the end of 1986, he’d been under the knife more than 20 times – five in one year – with all the experimental surgeries. “Finally, my doc said, ‘You have three options. No. 1, you can rest for three years with no physical exertion, no running and no sports of any kind. No. 2, we can do more experimental surgery. No. 3 is amputation,” Bemis said. “I’d been sliced and diced pretty well. When you’re 12 and your friends are running and jumping and having fun, three years with no activity isn’t an option. So I asked him to explain amputation. Before he left the room, I told him I wanted it off.” Dr. Robert Hensinger left a moment later, then sat in the hallway and cried. “When I saw him again, he said, ‘Brian, are you sure? I’ll give you some time…’ I stopped him right there,” Bemis remembered. “I said, ‘Doc, time isn’t really on my side.’ He said, ‘Once the bone is cut and we start removing it, there are no do-overs. There’s no going back.’ “That was fine with me. I wanted to have fun. I wanted my childhood back, not constant pain.” Bemis wrapped his hands completely around his thigh before the amputation. All he felt was skin, a little tissue . . . and that blasted bone. SUMMER 2010

Kids can be cruel. And a couple of classmates said horrible things – albeit very briefly. Bemis’ friends took care of that in a hurry. But that wasn’t the only confrontation. “My mom and dad were kind of estranged after I made the decision,” he said. “My dad blamed my mother for letting me do it. But my mom said point-blank, ‘It’s not our decision. We’re not the ones in pain.’” They were all there when he went under

most difficult, painful thing I’ve ever had to deal with. It was such a dinosaur and so hard to put on and take off.” It took 12 minutes to do that on a good day – not exactly what he had in mind. Bemis didn’t care how the new limb looked. He cared that it didn’t do the job. “I’ve never been the kind of person who needs to have it look like a real leg,” he said. “Some people need that to feel whole, so to

Life’s Lessons Brian Bemis (left) gives instruction and inspiration at Hawk Hollow, Eagle Eye and FunTyme as an instructor in the Greg Webber Golf Academy. anesthesia – his dad, Gary, who worked at GM; his mom, Suzanne, a guardian angel, and his sister, Wendi, who was four-and-ahalf years older. “The doctor was brilliant,” Bemis said. “He moved my lower leg and foot where the thigh used to be. Then, he took my heel pad and stretched it over the leg. They were able to keep that when they amputated the foot two weeks later.” His first prosthesis was . . . a pain in the leg, as he likes to say. It also led to some nasty tumbles. “I didn’t take the time to master walking,” Bemis said. “I wanted to run right away and fell down a lot. That prosthesis was the 32 SUMMER 2010

speak. I know I’m physically challenged.” Not always. The first thing Bemis did back home was try to play basketball. And he still saw himself as a linebacker. But he became an excellent quarterback in flag football, the best spot for someone with great hand-eye coordination and limited mobility. “My return to school was awesome,” he said. “They had a huge banner when I got to middle school, half-green and half-yellow. They didn’t know if I was a Michigan State fan or a Michigan fan. They found out in a hurry, though.” He loved the Spartans and still does. One of his heroes was Scott Skiles. And Bemis

could’ve been his younger brother in terms of fire and feistiness. It didn’t take him long to find some fringe benefits. Bemis got to leave classes five minutes early to avoid the rush between periods. Of course, everyone wanted to carry his backpack. “That was awesome,” he said. “There were a couple of girls I had crushes on. I knew who to pick.” When Bemis picked up his dad’s 6-iron for some unknown reason, his life changed again. It was the summer of ’87, four months after the amputation. “I thought it was kind of lame, actually,” he said of golf, not his gait. “But I’d been on one leg my whole life. I adjusted fairly easily. After 20 or 25 minutes, I threw the crutches down and hit the whole Crown Royal shag bag. After the first few, it wasn’t so bad.” Before long, Bemis stopped feeling sorry for himself – something he had every right to do. Though his battle was a long way from over, he seized a new opportunity. “Almost every cancer patient wonders, ‘Why me?’” Bemis said. “I did that for almost a year. Then, I realized I was a lot better off.” Not always. Bemis had a titanium rod inside his stump. And an accident his freshman year at Charlotte High ruined that transition, too. “I would’ve been on the golf team,” Bemis said. “But coming off the first tee in the first match, I slipped and fell. I broke my stump. It was bent like this (45 degrees). . . . The x-ray was actually pretty sweet. “Then, my senior year, the golf coach cut me. He said I had to walk to play. Through 16 holes of the qualifying, I was two shots back of his No. 1 player. But he said, ‘If you can’t walk 18 holes, you can’t play for me.’ My senior year was probably the most disheartening time of my life.” After graduation in ’92, he enrolled at Lansing Community College at his parents’ insistence. But he wasn’t into academics and spent the next three years delivering pizzas for Pizza Hut. Finally, Bemis landed a job at Connxtions Comedy Club, where he tended bar for roughly 10 years and tried his hand at stand-up. “If you can’t make fun of yourself, you can’t make fun of anyone else,” he said. “The first time I took my leg off and rolled it across the stage, the reaction was dead silence. I said, ‘Whoops! I kind of need that. . . . There’s 15½ inches, ladies! C’mon!’ That’s when a guy’s wife winked at me, and her husband gave me a thumbs up. “I’d say, ‘Be sure you tip the wait staff and especially your bartender. . . . If you tip him and he falls over, sometimes he gets up, and sometimes he doesn’t.”

Photography MIKE MAJOR

Zero Handicap

Dark humor for dark times. Bemis went through a period when he drank a lot and had run-ins with the law. He got caught speeding while intoxicated and lost his license for several years. “It was how I dealt with depression,” he said. “I drank. I drank heavily – whatever was on special. Then, for five years I didn’t touch a drop. I was in a golf league on Monday nights. So was my last sentencing judge. Finally, he said, ‘Brian, I see something in you. You’re better than this.’” He was. And he is. Bemis was six credits from his associates degree at LCC and hoped to enter the professional golf management program at Ferris State. Instead, at age 29, he wound up at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, a branch campus. An academic adviser said he’d be able to transfer 90 percent of his credits. When that turned out to be closer to 9 percent, Bemis came home, disillusioned again. But he always had golf. He had played in the National Amputee Tournament since ’89 and finished sixth at Bethpage Red in ’05. Bemis won his division that year, shooting a 37 on the back nine to overcome a six-shot deficit. “I’m really accurate off the tee and pretty strong mentally, too,” he said. “I play with

people who hit it a mile and scare the living crap out of me. And the one-armed guys are awesome. They hit it better than I do with two arms and a leg.” A tip or two from world-renowned teacher Jim Flick gave Bemis new insight. With help from “The Swing Coach of the Common Man,” he realized what he had to be. Area pros Kirk Sherman and Greg Webber

“Now, there’s nothing I love better than helping someone play better golf. I’ll be your biggest fan. And if I can help one student who’s a 13 get to single digits, that’s the best feeling in the world. That one good shot you hit is the highlight of my day.” Bemis has a lot of fans, too, from family to friends to fellow golfers. Some day, he’d love to have his own academy. For now, he’s

“I play with people who hit it a mile and scare the living crap out of me…they hit it better than I do with two arms and a leg.”

- Brian Bemis, life instructor

were there for him, too, as were the entire staffs at Hawk Hollow, Eagle Eye and FunTyme. But Bemis took the essential step. He passed the test for playing ability – two times the course rating, plus 15 strokes, for 36 holes – and fought through the book work – six tests and three simulations. “The first time I tried, I needed to make a 12-footer on the last hole,” Bemis said. “The ball went around the hole and lipped out. I chucked my putter 50 feet. But the third time, I passed by two shots.

happy working at Hawk and Eagle. An individual session is $50 for 45 minutes – $35 for juniors. When you throw in the life lesson, it may be the best money some of us could spend. “I’ve had a lot of people say I inspired them,” Bemis said. “I don’t know how. My sister says, ‘You’re my hero. You make me want to be a better person.’” Bemis had to want to be that, too. And he has passed that test by more than two strokes. Now, it’s time to pass that along.

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SUMMER 2010

PGA There For You Promoting Game’s Attractiveness A Major Goal BY Tom lang

When people see the letters PGA, they often envision professional golfers on Tour who produce monster drives, miraculous putts and emotional fist pumps on television each weekend. Yet, those three capital letters dig so much deeper into local communities, often sight unseen. Mid-Michigan is blessed to host the Michigan PGA Section with its home base high on a hill overlooking the 9th and 18th greens at Eagle Eye Golf Course in Bath. The Michigan PGA Section represents its membership of more than 800 club pros, course owners and operators, superintendents and pro shop managers in our state as an organization with one over-riding goal: to grow the game. Sometimes that motto means teaching amateurs to play, sometimes hosting tournaments and other times utilizing golf to support charities and the Michigan economy as a whole. The Michigan PGA Section, established in 1922, is one 34 SUMMER 2010

of the oldest and most active sections under the larger PGA of America umbrella. The PGA Tour is a completely different animal. Its main responsibility is organizing and promoting big-money tournament stops across the country. Most PGA Tour players are PGA members. It’s in local efforts that the Michigan PGA Section focuses its attention. “We’re the ones who start and develop community golf programs and have taught the kids from young ages,” said John Lindert, director of golf at the Country Club of Lansing and current president of the Section. “Hopefully, you get the opportunity to teach some that flourish and grow. “The biggest thing is to promote and grow the game of golf. It’s one of the largest things we try to stress as an organization.” Lindert said their objective is reached through a variety of programs, including Play Golf America campaigns, free lesson month, bring your family to the golf course month and other opportunities which members support in their individual communities. This summer the Section will run free lesson opportunities at Michigan International Speedway in conjunction with the June and August NASCAR races. Members have done the same in the past at the Buick Open and other venues.

Competitive Juices Kevin Helm, executive director of the Michigan PGA Section since 2004, said the organization is understandably more visible through the running of tournaments for pros and amateurs alike – from the prestigious Michigan Open to the Michigan PGA Championship to the newer Junior Tour it started in 2006 for the young amateur set. New this year are six tournaments for Michigan pros and amateurs in the spring and fall months, the WholesaleGrips.com Stroke Play Series presented by SkyCaddie. The series will consist of six 18-hole stroke-play events scattered across the state. The Michigan PGA Championship is steeped in history. It was first played in 1922 and was won by eventual nine-time champ Al Watrous of Oakland Hills Country Club. Walter Hagen – yes, THE Walter Hagen – won it in 1930 and ’31. Jimmy Demaret, the 1943 Michigan PGA champ, won three Masters and 31 PGA Tour events overall. Horton Smith of the Detroit Golf Club won it in 1948 – after winning the very first Masters ever played at Augusta in 1934. The last mid-Michigan winner of the event was John DalCorobbo, formerly of Forest Akers, in 2005. Grand Traverse’s Scott Hebert has dominated the event ever since with four consecutive wins at host course Eagle Eye. Ryan Brehm, one of MSU’s more recent golf phenoms, is the defending champ of the Michigan Open, which amateurs are allowed to enter. It dates back to 1916 with similar historical names grabbing the trophy.

Photography MICHIGAN PGA

Starting Early The Michigan PGA Junior Tour offers 13 summer and six fall events across the state, plus the national qualifier. One goal is to give young amateurs a chance to gain competitive experience to help launch their careers in high school – and perhaps beyond. “The Junior Tour goes to the heart of what a PGA member does,” Helm said. “They are experts in teaching and growing the game and providing learning and playing opportunities for all ages.” Blake English from Charlotte won the local qualifier and competed at the national event in 2007-08. Last year, Tyler DeGood from Grand Ledge was the Michigan Player of the Year in the boys 16-18 division. Helm, a resident of DeWitt, has been on the Section staff since 1996. He said an offshoot of the Junior Tour has been two seminars aimed at showing amateur youth

and parents the highlights and roadblocks at playing golf collegiately. Presenters at the recent March event were the men’s and women’s golf coaches at the University of Michigan. They reviewed expectations athletically and academically, addressed scholarship questions and other youth development issues. The seminar also had a golf-skills component from Jason Guss of the Rick Smith Academy at Tree Tops. Osprey Recreational Properties also offers scholarships for Junior Tour participants.

Women’s Open in 1994. With sponsorship dollars and some of the largest purses in the country, the Michigan PGA Section was back on firm ground and able to focus more on its core goals of growing the game and using golf to support local communities. “Ken Devine was the right man at the right time for the Michigan PGA,” said Jim Dewling, a multiple past president and 45-year member. “Ken had Michigan roots and the national contacts that took us to a new level of professionalism.” A bequeath from Metro Detroit course owner Bob Jonas and subsequent investments led to selling the Section’s office on Five Mile Road in Livonia and moving into the new home at Eagle Eye five years ago to be more centrally located for all the membership.

Charity Begins at Home

Great Scott Scott Hebert has dominated the Michigan PGA Championship at Eagle Eye.

In the Beginning While the Michigan PGA Section continues to remain vital during tough economic times, that wasn’t always the case. Prior to the 1980s it was mostly a volunteer organization. But after its fourth executive director in the early 1990s was charged with embezzling more than $400,000 and the group was bankrupt, former Michigander and national golf sales rep Ken Devine was brought in to clean things up. “The first thing we had to do was rebuild the trust of the membership and put in business standards and conditions that would never allow such a thing to happen again,” the now-retired Devine said. That happened, and more. Devine led a growth of the Section from three major tournaments to adding the Tournament of Champions in 1992 and the Michigan

One of the least recognized but most important parts of being a PGA Section member is expanding golf as a charitable tool. The Section itself holds three events the Tuesday after Memorial Day to raise money for and honor men and women in the U.S. Armed Services. The Western Chapter has for more than 40 years held an event at Fort Custer near Battle Creek for the VA Hospital on site, the Eastern Chapter for Team Selfridge and the Northern Chapter supports Camp Grayling. Lindert added that PGA Section members are heavily involved in Patriot Golf Day activities as well. But the major impact is what they do for local fund-raising events all year long at Michigan’s 850-plus golf courses. Helm echoed those thoughts. “Often overlooked is the role of our PGA professionals in their local communities, helping charities raise money,” he said. “They have a huge impact in that area, helping local groups be successful but also running their own charitable event for local causes, scholarships funds or different things. We all know the impact is huge. We just don’t know how to put an exact number on it.” The Michigan PGA Section did put a number on the overall economic impact golf has on just the state of Michigan. In 2008 it released a study in partnership with the Michigan Golf Course Owners Association that said, for the latest figures in 2006, Michigan’s golf industry generated about $4.2 billion of direct, indirect and induced economic output, $1.4 billion of wage income and almost 57,000 jobs. Golf courses alone, primarily operated by Michigan PGA Section members, generated $1.15 billion of revenues in 2006 – enough to make PGA Tour purses seem as small as any swing flaw your PGA pro can correct for you. SUMMER 2010

Brintnall Means Business Innovative MSU Course Teaches Golf’s Other Values

Michigan State University is taking a new approach to teaching business – and the growth of the course would make any CEO’s smile widen. Using Golf in Business is a special-topics business class and the first of its kind in the Big Ten. Local LPGA teaching pro and MSU alum Jan Brintnall created and teaches the course. “The growth of the class participation has been pleasantly surprising, just explosive,” Brintnall said. “We seem to have found something that’s missing in business education. It’s the inclusion of different venues where business has been conducted traditionally. 36 SUMMER 2010

Usually, it’s thought to take place in a board room, in an office or across the table at lunch. “But this is a whole new venue to look at, with five uninterrupted hours on the course to build rapport and relationships that can’t happen in a traditional business setting. Golf has been used for centuries to deepen relationships, and it’s a special game that reveals character.” Using Golf in Business was first developed as an optional instructional excursion for

the MSU Department of Management’s Managing People and Operations In A Global Market Study Abroad Program in St. Andrews, Scotland, beginning in 2007. Many students soon suggested it become a course for credit, and the Eli Broad College of Business tapped Brintnall to develop and teach it in Mid-Michigan. The golfing portion of the program takes place at The Emerald in St. Johns, where Brintnall uses her 20-plus years of golf instruction to teach the game. But the course goes deeper by requiring several projects related to business. A summer-

Photography TOM LANG

BY Tom lang

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semester course through MSU’s Management Education Center in Troy will take place at Fox Hills Golf Course in Plymouth. Dean Eileen Wilson said in a statement: “What we, the Deans, understand and appreciate is that this course is very cutting edge. The course Jan Brintnall developed is integrating business concepts and principles with the essential business skill of golf. Not how to swing a club, but how to conduct business through the game of golf, develop and nurture critical business relationships and network through golf and advance organizational goals of a multinational corporation while advancing one’s own

East Lansing native working on her Masters in kinesiology. She is now a teaching assistant for the class this spring semester. She had never played golf seriously before, just occasionally with her family – “mostly just putt-putt,” she noted. “I thought it was interesting, since I plan to go into athletics,” Loding said. “And not just playing golf, but the fundraising, learning about corporate goals and to learn how to incorporate all these things in golf.” Loding agrees that golf can especially help women in the business world. “I think it gives women the upper hand a little,” she said. “Women are still up and coming in the business world. But if they can compete on the golf “…Golf is as essential as other business course and hold their skills like communication, leadership own, they’ll gain more respect. Golf can still and team work.” be an old-boys’ club, but - Dean Eileen Wilson, Michigan State University it’s a common ground for people of all industries and walks of life. It professional objectives. Golf is as essential makes things more equal and makes it fun as other business skills like communication, to go out and do business together.” leadership and team work.” What surprised Loding was what other Course content includes a USGA rules exam, students have told her. golf history and course design, etiquette “Many students coming back from first both on the golf course and in the business semester say they mentioned the class on world, group instruction, and team projects their resumes or in interviews, and it has requiring classmates to plan a golf outing taken the interview to a whole new level,” from start to finish, research a multinational Loding said. “It gives them confidence corporation’s use of golf in business and the and commonalities with the prospective presentation of their findings to the class. employer. It shows they can go out on a golf One former student from the initial full- course if they’re representing a company semester class last fall is Jess Loding, 23, an and not make fools of themselves.

Learning, Then Earning Jan Brintnall’s class, Using Golf in Business, teaches etiquette and ways to maximize the game’s potential in the business world.

38 SUMMER 2010

Short And Sweet Jan Brintnall (left) helps students use golf as an economic tool. “I first thought it would be a blow-off class. It’s not like a chemistry class that will challenge you intellectually in that regard. But the business savvy you learn is huge. I’d recommend it for anyone in any profession.” Another former student turned teaching assistant is Ray Bates, age 34, and medically retired from the U.S. Marines. He is a Durand native studying management. Bates also took part in one of the Scotland travelabroad programs that spawned the business in golf course. He first played golf while serving in the military. “Golf is really big in the corps,” he said. “We’d take our golf wedges to the Middle East with us. “When I got hurt, I got away from the game a little, but the Scotland trip got me back into it. Playing the Old Course (at St. Andrews) certainly helped rekindle the interest of me being a full-blown golf junkie. I thought, ‘If I can’t get back into golf at St. Andrews, I’ll never get back into the game.’” Golf is basically the universal language of business, Bates said, explaining why he likes being a teaching assistant. “One person might be in banking and one in technology,” he said. “But if they’re interested in golf, it usually creates an instant camaraderie. And more times than not it can make all parties relax and loosen up a stiff business environment. “What’s great is the class is more than just golf. It’s not a kinesiology class. It’s about how to conduct business in non-traditional settings, how to be an active listener and how to judge the right and wrong time to talk business. Those are all important tools to have – you could even end up being interviewed for a job on the golf course. It’s so much more than trying to teach students golf.”

GREATER LANSING SPORTS AUTHORITY

Lansing’s Top Caddie

Convention And Visitors Bureau Loaded With Golf Information

Forest Akers . . . Eagle Eye . . . Timber Ridge . . . Groesbeck. You know these area golf courses and many others inside and out. No matter what kind of player you are, this is the local landscape. To put it in a child’s terms, this is the playground nearest to your house. But how do others find out about Greater Lansing golf courses? For that matter, what about people who plan tournaments or travel writers who focus on favorable fairways and challenging chip shots? They find out about the links in Lansing the same way a smart golfer learns a new layout – by asking his or her caddie. Playing the part of a well-informed caddie for the last 50 years is the Greater Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau.

40 SUMMER 2010

“We’re dedicated to bringing leisure visitors into our area, and a great way to do that is by promoting the fantastic golf courses in our community,” said Tracy Padot, vice president of marketing for the GLCVB. “We leverage our relationship with Travel Michigan and several professional writer associations to bring folks to Greater Lansing who make their living promoting golf, and we suggest the best of our local offerings.”

Just as a good caddie will let you know about a tricky dogleg that leads to a hidden bunker or recommend just the right club to use from the tee on a water hole, the GLCVB prides itself on knowing the golf in the community and hosting FAM (familiarization) tours for those who will enjoy it, then spread the word. While the golf courses themselves are the main focus, the CVB is also right there to recommend and promote other things that go along with a great day of golf in Mid-Michigan – lodging, shopping and suggestions for the perfect meal when the round of golf is done. “A golf trip to Greater Lansing should include a lot more than just golf, and the GLCVB is there to help the community put its

Photography BRENDAN DWYER

BY BRENDAN DWYER

best foot forward,” Padot said. “When we’re hosting golf writers or a golf event planner, we set up an itinerary that showcases our unique local restaurants, pubs and even galleries and boutiques. While this is a community full of great golf, we’re a region rich with other leisure offerings. When we put on display all Greater Lansing has to offer, we set the table for a visit that’s longer than 18 holes.” The benefit to the local community from these FAM tours is significant, especially considering the added credibility and cost savings with editorial coverage instead of paid advertising in publications like Michigan Golfer, the Chicago Tribune, Booth Newspapers and Golf Chicago, just to name a few. The GLCVB’s local connections and reputation for redcarpet service is much appreciated by partners like Tim Hygh, Golf Consultant for Travel Michigan. “Holding tours for writers is a big part of our plans for promoting golf in Michigan, and we’re setting one up right now for Lansing. We simply couldn’t do it without the help of the CVB,” Hygh said. “We bring the golf contacts, and they bring everything else. From the planning to setting up the

golf to dinners and first-rate hospitality, the GLCVB works hard to deliver an event to remember.” In fact, according to Hygh, Greater Lansing golf is always particularly memorable for national travel writers. “People always remark about the pristine condition of Lansing’s courses and the incredible value,” Hygh said. “Michigan’s sunny days and cool nights are the perfect recipe for growing grass, so it’s no coincidence that Michigan has more golf courses than any other state in the country. Michigan is a national golf haven, and Greater Lansing is right there in the mix.” With an economy struggling to diversify, Greater Lansing must play to all its strengths and go after numerous opportunities for economic impact. Building the notoriety of local golf courses is just one of those ways. The GLCVB will always be there, bringing in golf-minded visitors, offering key information and suggesting all the best places to be, just like a great caddie. But when you’re standing at the tee of the island green, No. 17 at Eagle Eye, and want a tip on how to wind up 2 feet from the cup…sorry. You’re on your own.

Big Fun at Little Hawk A popular stop for travel writers is the Little Hawk putting course in East Lansing. It’s a unique golf offering that plays quickly and is fun for visitors of all skill levels.

SUMMER 2010

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SPORT LAST SHOT

Ronald McGolfer THERE IS NO CLOWNING AROUND WHEN IT COMES TO FUND RAISING OR THE RONALD McDONALD HOUSE AT FOREST AKERS WEST. 07/27/2009

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SUMMER 2010

SPORT FINISH LINE

From Biggie And Mary… To Today’s Spartans, It’s All About Core Values By stacy slobodnik-stoll

average team score was 349. The average individual score was 87.38. In our three tournament victories this season, the Title IX was just emerging, and Athletic medalist in 1975; and Sue Ertl, an LPGA Tour average was 289 for the team and 72.31 for individuals. Director Biggie Munn asked Bruce if he competitor for 11 years. We are still one of the best golf programs had heard of this “Title IX thing.” Biggie Mary became one of the original pioneers explained that he needed to start six women’s of women’s golf. She and a small group of in the nation. In the past 13 years, we sports programs. He wanted one to be golf, coaching peers worked diligently to help have finished in the top three in the Big and he wanted Mary to be the coach. women’s golf and put it on the map of Ten Conference 10 times, including league titles in 2001 and 2007. We have made the Mary met with Biggie when Bruce was on collegiate athletics. NCAA Regional tournament 12 the road with his team. When years in a row, including 2010, Bruce arrived home, he asked and have qualified for the Mary what had happened with National Championship seven the job. Mary excitedly said she times. We are producing players accepted, and they hugged. Bruce who are ready for professional was thrilled. He then inquired golf or whatever career they about her salary. may choose. “I don’t know,” she said. “I While the winning tradition didn’t ask.” has not changed, transportation And that is where it all and equipment certainly have. began. No longer are the skills of tying The first teams had the bare golf clubs to the top of cars on necessities. Mary looked for my wish list for a player. Now we cheap hotels that were close to fly to almost every tournament the golf course. MSU’s motor across the nation so we can pool didn’t have vans for the compete against the top teams teams, only station wagons. in the country. Our custom van Bruce had to give a packing for road trips has a 22-inch flatlesson to the student-athletes, screen TV and computer ports for who were mainly borrowed from each of the six leather captains the volleyball team. He showed seats with the block “S” stitched them how to tie the golf clubs to into them. the top of the wagon and pack She Does It All Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll is Michigan’s reigning Female We are fortunate to have the bags so there was enough Player of the Decade and one of the nation’s top college coaches as she six full-ride scholarships, the room for one of the players to sit continues to build a legacy at Michigan State. maximum the NCAA allows. We in back with them. are sponsored by Titleist and wear There were no plane rides to Nike gear. And it’s not just one any events. The players received a golf bag, golf balls and a couple of golf I played for Mary at Michigan State from or two shirts supplied by Nike. Our studentshirts for the tournaments. There were no 1989-94, the middle years. We drove a athletes receive everything you could dream scholarships, just a love for the game. lot of places. And when we flew, it was a of having, wanting and needing as a golfer. Golf has been my life and always will Little did they know they would be the treat. We had everything we needed and groundbreakers who paved the way for Michigan a bit more. By this time Mary had quite a be. Thanks to a Coach named Mary who State women’s golf of the 21st century. following of team supporters. They were – believed in me a long time ago, I now have That didn’t take long. Mary had the girls and still are – very loyal, which has allowed an occupation that I love and still play a playing solid golf, and the Spartans won five us to achieve the success we have had in the game that has been so good to me. I have spent more than 20 years as a Spartan consecutive Big Ten Championships from 1974- 38-year history of the program. 1978. The standouts included: Bonnie Lauer, Fast forward to the year 2010. Some things and am proud of the program that we still maintain today, one that was built LPGA Rookie of the Year in 1976 and president are very different. Some are just the same. in 1988; Joan Garety, still one of the best That first full year of competition in the with core values that were instilled from amateurs in Michigan; June Oldman, Big Ten three tournaments the Spartans won, the inception way back when. 44 SUMMER 2010

Photography MSU Athletic communications

The year was 1972. Bruce Fossum was the men’s golf coach at Michigan State; his wife, amateur golf legend Mary Fossum.

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