Author: lenz

CHICAGO PREVIEW: No Ryder Cup, but season won’t be dull

No Ryder Cup. No Western Amateur. A quiet year is ahead for golf in Chicago, right?

WRONG!!!

Chicago golf is never dull, and this season will be as inspiring as the last one – and maybe even more so. Believe me.

Yes, the epic Ryder Cup at Medinah has come and gone – and will never be forgotten. Already, though, there’s an event on the distant horizon that could take its place. Rich Harvest Farms owner Jerry Rich has been a leader in the establishment of the International Crown women’s team event that will begin in 2014 and be played in Sugar Grove in 2016. You’ll be hearing a lot more about that down the road.

But this is now.

Competition-wise, this is what we have in Chicago in 2013:

Finally the Champions Tour is returning. It’s been missing from Chicago since 2002, but this season the $1.8 million Encompass Championship will be played at North Shore Country Club from June 17-23. It’ll be something different from the previous Chicago tour stops, and figures to be fun. The Encompass Championship will be a full-fledged celebrity event, and Chicago’s never really had one of those.

The BMW Championship is also returning, but this time at a new location. Long-played at Cog Hill prior to its staging in Indianapolis last year, this 2013 version will be played at Conway Farms, the private club in Lake Forest that includes Luke Donald among its members. Conway has hosted plenty of big amateur competitions, but this will be the biggest event ever played at the spiffy Tom Fazio design. Last year’s BMW, at Crooked Stick, was named Tournament of the Year by the PGA Tour.

The Illinois PGA is moving one of its major events. The IPGA Players Championship is leaving long-time home Eagle Ridge in Galena and going to Metamora Fields, a new D.A. Weibring design near Peoria.

The Chicago District Golf Assn. has presented a much-revamped tournament schedule. The biggest change involves the 83rd Illinois State Amateur. Previously a fixture in August, the State Am will move to July 16-18 at Aldeen in Rockford and become a lead-in to the Illinois Open at The Glen Club.

The CDGA also moved its 21st Illinois Mid-Amateur Championship at Flossmoor from May to Aug. 27-28 and scheduled a new event – a Super Senior tourney for players 65 and over on Aug. 5 at Royal Hawk.

In addition to bringing the BMW Championship back to Chicago, the Western Golf Assn. has added another tournament. This one part of the new Web.com Tour playoffs, and will be played in Ft. Wayne, Ind. The WGA also moved its Western Amateur to The Alotian Club in Arkansas. In making a one-year hiatus from its Chicago Western Am rotation, the WGA is also making a one-year adjustment in the tourney format. The event will be spread over six days instead of five to compensate for expected sweltering temperatures in Arkansas.

What strikes me most this early in the year, though, is the increased Chicago presence on the professional tours. I’m intrigued to see how Eric Meierdierks handles his rookie season on the PGA Tour and how the veteran Nicole Jeray does after surviving another gut-wrenching trip to LPGA Tour School. Both of these players have great stories to tell, and the fact that both are playing at the top level of golf is surprising.

Rarely does a Chicago golfer get through a qualifying school for any of the professional tours. But Wilmette’s Meierdierks, a 27-year old with only one previous PGA start to his credit, tied for 14th in the three-stage PGA November elimination that started with 1,558 players and Berwyn’s Jeray, 42, tied for 17th in the LPGA Q-School. She was competing in it for the 19th time.

Meierdierks, though relatively new to the rigorous qualifying procedures, made it easily in the final stage, but the first of the three eliminations was tremendously difficult on an emotional level. It fell six days after the death of his father.

Jeray, meanwhile, had to go to a seven-player playoff for the final four spots in the LPGA nailbiter. An LPGA Tour player off and on for the last two decades, she survived with a 20-foot birdie putt on the fifth extra hole.

Meierdierks’ arrival on the PGA Tour was a feel-good story, just as much as Jeray’s grittiness was on the women’s side. He had been basically a mini-tour player since turning professional in 2009. His career highlight had been a victory in the 2010 Illinois Open at Hawthorn Woods, and he lost that tourney’s 2012 title in a playoff with Max Scodro last August at The Glen Club. Q-School is a huge step up from the big local competitions, but Meierdierks was up to the task.

“It’s been incredible,’’ Meierdierks told me after a few days of reflection. “It’s been a long journey, and it feels really good to finally have a dream come true and see a lot of hard work pay off.’’

In addition to Meierdierks the PGA Tour cast will include University of Illinois alums Scott Langley, who also made it through Q-School, and Luke Guthrie, who earned his playing privileges for 2013 off his great play the last six months of 2012. Prior to Guthrie, Langley and Meierdierks, the last player with local connections to earn privileges on the PGA Tour was Crystal Lake’s Joe Affrunti, who earned his card by finishing in the top 25 on the Nationwide (now Web.com Tour) money list in 2010. He required shoulder surgery last spring and missed most of what would have been his rookie season on the PGA Tour. Coming off a medical exemption, he hopes to resume playing on the circuit in 2013.

There are also some notable newcomers on the home pro front. Mike Scully ended a 10-year stint as Medinah’s director of golf as soon as the Ryder Cup ended. The plum job has gone to Marty DeAngelo . who had been director of golf at Isleworth – the Florida home club for Tiger Woods and several other PGA Tour players. Scully left Medinah to become director of golf at Desert Mountain, a resort facility in Scottsdale, Ariz., that boasts five 18-hole courses.

Another long-established Chicago private facility, Exmoor in Highland Park, also dipped into the Florida ranks for its next head professional. David Schmaltz had worked as an assistant at Jupiter Club. Naperville Country Club elevated assistant Brian Brown to replace the retiring Jim Arendt and Brendan Adair moved from Prestwick to take the head job at Midlothian.

On the college front Northwestern loaded up both its men’s and women’s teams with new recruits. Men’s coach Pat Goss signed Matt Fitzpatrick of Sheffield, England. He was the British Boys Amateur champion in 2012 and Goss calls him “the most significant player we’ve signed since Luke Donald.’’ NU women’s coach Emily Fletcher also recruited well, signing two state high school champions – Minji Luo (California) and Kacie Komoto (Hawaii).

From the equipment side Batavia club manufacturer Tour Edge made a big splash at the 60th PGA Merchandise Show with its new variable fit driver. It marked the first time Tour Edge has entered the adjustable club area.

Chicago golf publication takes on a new/old name

You might notice there’s a new, old golf publication making its debut at the 30th Chicago Golf Show. Sound confusing? Let me explain.

Chicago Area Golf was the publication that provided coverage of the Chicago golf scene the last three years. Starting with this issue the publication that will do the same job will be called Chicagoland Golf.

It’s not a big name change, but it’s a meaningful one. Publisher Val Russell, who started Chicago Area Golf in May of 2010, thinks the name change will eliminate some confusion.

“It’s pretty simple,’’ said Russell. “Chicagoland Golf is a name that’s been around for quite some period of time because Phil Kosin published under that name for 20 years.’’

When Kosin succumbed to cancer in 2009 Chicagoland Golf ceased publication.

“When Phil passed I wanted to continue something similar to it,’’ said Russell. “Phil’s wife wasn’t interested in selling the name, so I started a new product. The long and short of it is that I still get checks and emails referring to us as Chicagoland Golf. It’s the name people refer to as our product. It just made sense to use a name that people recognized.’’

The confusion carried over to the Chicago Area Golf website.

“Somebody had that website name, so we had to go with www.chicagogolfonline, which didn’t match our publishing name,’’ said Russell. “We were able to pick www.chicagolandgolf.net as our website name. That’s important from a business standpoint as we go into 2013.’’

Russell doesn’t expect resistance to the name change.

“It’s really not a trademark or copyright,’’ he said. “Chicagoland Golf’s name is too common. In the publishing world you either use it or lose it. Part of my decision to use it is that I wanted to do it before someone else does.’’

Kosin started his publication in 1989, but it had a predecessor with a very similar name. Charles Chudek, who died in December, published Chicagoland Golfer in the 1960s.

“Some might be offended,’’ said Russell, “but the name has been around a long time in the Chicago marketplace. We’re not trying to undermine what Phil had done, but rather align our publication with what people related to. And our corporate name has always been Chicagoland Golf Media Inc.’’

Russell’s first issue came out in May, 2010. It was the first of six issues published that year. There were seven in both 2011 and 2012. The first each year is published to coincide with the Chicago Golf Show, then there are issues on a monthly basis from May through September and a fall issue that comes out in late October.

Coinciding with the name change is Russell’s decision to finally run his own picture in the publication.

“I’ve been asked why my picture isn’t in the paper,’’ he said, “but I’ve always been in the background side of publishing and didn’t feel the need to see a picture of me. Now there’s no reason not to.’’

Russell’s professional background has been in publishing. He grew up in Wyoming, where his father worked for a variety of small newspapers.

“I grew up in publishing, and I followed in his footsteps,’’ Russell said.

Eventually he took a job with the Audit Bureau of Circulation, where his focus was magazines. During his 17-year stint in that role he settled in Chicago. A Hampshire resident, he’s lived in the area since 1983.

From 2000-2010 he had his own consulting practice and he also taught a course called The Magazine Project at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism for eight years.

“My name has been printed in the mastheads of 200 million magazines over the years – and that number might be conservative,’’ said Russell. “I’ve worked for a lot of publishers over the years.’’

He opted for his own publication when his consulting practice was winding down, the result of the magazine industry declining to about one-third of what it was in its heyday. His first venture was Rockford Life, which was published in 2006 and 2007.

“It died a miserable death. We weren’t welcomed by the local newspaper,’’ said Russell.

Chicago Area Golf came next, a venture spurred in part by his interest in the game. He has been a member of the Northern Illinois Men’s Amateur Golf Assn. since 1988 and was on that group’s board from 19996-2007. Now he plays in a group called the Cog Hill 18. His handicap, once a 5, is now an 11.

“I like to play tournament golf, and I like to play social golf when I can,’’ he said. “Once you’re in this industry you don’t have as much time.’’

In addition to Chicagoland Golf Russell works as client services director for Omeda, a Northbrook-based firm that manages subscriber files for publishers.

He entered the golf publishing world at a difficult economic time, with both the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times in bankruptcy. Chicago Area Golf, though, withstood the struggles. With the name change the new Chicagoland Golf will sport a spiffy new logo and Jason Clary, who had been at Century Publishing in Evanston, has come aboard as art director.

“We’ll have a new name, but be the same great paper,’’ said Russell. “We’ll continue what we’ve been doing. Our focus has always been golf in Chicago – be it a professional tournament or the junior game. That’s all we’re about. You won’t see articles on event the Masters or U.S. Open unless someone from Chicago does something spectacular.’’

PGA VILLAGE: Just the place for golf diehards

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL. – It can be confusing.

The PGA of America has its headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens, FL., where PGA National and its five courses are located. The PGA doesn’t own that complex, but it does own PGA Village, an hour or so north of PGA National.

PGA Village is much different than National, which underwent a massive renovation of its courses and property in recent years.

At PGA Village there are three public courses – the Wanamaker, Dye and Ryder – plus PGA Country Club, about two miles from the main complex. The Fazio family, so prominent in golf architecture for three generations, has designs at both the National – a swank five-course facility that hosts the PGA Tour’s annual Honda Classic — and the Village.

The Village has at least one thing the National doesn’t – a golf museum – and its Center for Golf Learning and Performance (pictured above) sets it apart from any golf destination in the country, if not the world. This is a 35-acre complex with 100 hitting stations and state-of-the-art training accessories.

Most interesting was the bunker practice area, where players can test themselves in a wide variety of sand compositions (see photo below).

Nothing against PGA National or any of the other upscale destinations we’ve visited, but PGA Village has a comfortable feel to it. It’s for the pure golf diehard, of whatever age group or gender. Its Ryder course, which opened in 1996 and was renovated in 2006, was twice voted among the nation’s top 50 courses for women by Golf For Women magazine.

The Wanamaker layout, which also opened in 1996 and was renovated in 2006, was GolfWeek’s choice as America’s Best Residential Course in 2004. The Fazio name is on both. While the Wanamaker is generally considered the best of the three PGA Village layouts, we preferred the Ryder.

During our stay the Dye layout, a Pete Dye design that opened in 2000 and was renovated in 2007, had encountered some issues with the greens and PGA of America staffers were on hand to correct the problem. Still, that layout’s elaborate bunkering was eye-catching and the course was clearly playable.

Though the Village has been around for roughly two decades (PGA Country Club dates to 1988 – 10 years before the other layouts), it seems a well-kept secret. Even staffers there offered that appraisal. This is a great golf value, even in the heart of Florida’s tourist season.

The clubhouse, not large but warm and friendly, is undergoing an expansion. The pictures on its walls include some classics and – from a Chicago perspective – it was nice to see Illinois Golf Hall of Famers Bill Erfurth and Steve Benson cited prominently on the restaurant walls for their playing accomplishments. Another Chicago club pro legend, the late Bill Ogden, will be inducted into the PGA Golf Hall of Fame at the learning center in March. (This isn’t to be confused with the World Golf Hall of Fame, near Jacksonville. It honors largely touring professionals).

The golf is fun at PGA Village, and the learning facility, museum and six-hole short course set it apart from other golf destinations. Lodging is available on the property, but quality chain hotels are also nearby and one – the Hilton Garden Inn (check) – includes Sam Snead’s Oak Grill & Tavern (below). In addition to good food it has plenty of Snead memorabilia on display.

Also within a couple miles is the Vine & Barley, a unique wine and beer-tasting place that is well worth a visit when golf for the day is done.

IT ZIEHMS TO ME: Chicago Golf Show is ready to turn 30

The Chicago Golf Show celebrates its 30th anniversary beginning on Friday, and some significance announcements will be made as part of the festivities.

For one thing, the Chicago Open will be revived again, this time as a fundraiser for the Illinois Junior Golf Association. And Val Russell, publisher of the golf newspaper called Chicago Area Golf the past three years, will announce a name change for his publication.

The Show begins at noon on Friday at the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont and runs through Sunday. The first 200 visitors each day will receive practice round tickets to September’s BMW Championship at Conway Farms. Each visitor can also claim a coupon for one free round of golf at one of the many area courses managed by Golf Visions. Wilson Sporting Goods is also having a golf ball give-away as part of the Show.

Featured celebrity will be World Golf Hall of Famer Lanny Wadkins, who will take center stage at noon on Saturday. Recently named Golf Channel’s analyst for the Champions Tour, Wadkins will be on hand to promote Chicago’s return to the circuit at June’s Encompass Championship at North Shore.

Last year the Show had a record 16,000 visitors. This year’s gathering will check out 400 booths, each offering information about destination resorts, courses, tournaments and equipment. The Shannon Rovers will open the show each day.

Show hours are noon-7 p.m. on Friday, 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Adult admission is $5 on Friday and $10 on Saturday and Sunday. Youngsters 12-18 will be admitted for $4 and those 11 and under are free.

Illini add assistant coach

University of Illinois men’s coach Mike Small has a new assistant. Eldorado, IL., native Justin Fetcho has replaced Zach Guthrie. Guthrie left the Illini to work as caddie for his brother and former Illinois golfer Luke – a rookie on the PGA Tour.

Fetcho was assistant men’s coach at South Florida from 2009-11 and assistant women’s coach at Oregon from 2011 until joining Small’s staff.

The Illini, ranked 19th nationally, are coming off their first victory in the Big Ten Match Play tournament. Thomas Detry, a freshman from Belgium, was named the league’s player-of-the-week for his showing in that event. Detry never needed to play beyond the 15th hole en route to winning all three of his matches.

Did you know?

X — KemperSports has added still another Illinois club to its growing portfolio. Rockford Country Club, one of the state’s most prestigious private facilities dating back to 1899, will now be managed by the Northbrook-based firm.

X – CareerBuilder has been named presenting sponsor the the Encompass Championship — the first Chicago stop on the Champions Tour since 2002. It’ll be held at North Shore from June 17-23. It’ll feature a Wednesday-Thursday celebrity pro-am before the 54-hole main event that has already attracted Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Bernhard Langer, Nick Price and Tom Watson.

X – Fyre Lake, a course under new ownership in Sherrard, IL., near the Quad Cities, is now managed by GolfVisions.

PGA NATIONAL: New Fazio course goes down in my memory book

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL. – The Fazio is the newest course at PGA National Resort & Spa. Playing it was to be the highlight of a four-day stay there, and it was, but for more personal reasons.

This site is designed primarily to be informative about the golf destinations we visit, and this report on PGA National will be, as well – eventually. This time I come first.

In one round on that layout I hit my best iron shot in years and years, holing out a 6-iron from 140 yards on the third hole (Witness celebration photo below). It didn’t spur me on to a good round, though. In fact, the end result was my worst score of the nearly 20 rounds played on this trip, which is now into its eighth week.

And no, for those ready to ask, did the hole out produce an eagle. (My drive, though hit solidly, wound up behind a tree and required a chip-out before the magic arrived – if for just that one big swing).

Not only that, but all I could do was shake my head when the round was over after being outdriven by 30-50 yards on every hole by Gene, my most affable 81-year old playing partner from Connecticut who is 12 years my senior. The golf gods were working overtime on this strange day.

What wasn’t at all strange was The Fazio, a layout designed by the well-respected Tom Fazio II. It opened on Nov. 1, 2012, so not that many golfers have played it yet. Technically, the course isn’t all that new, though.

Originally it was called The Haig, a tribute to the legendary Walter Hagen. The Haig was opened in 1980 as the first course at PGA National, which now has five 18-holers. The Haig was designed by George and Tom Fazio. They are uncles to Tom Fazio II. He modernized the course with new grass, greens and tee boxes, and his finished product marks the first time those three Fazios have worked on the same layout. That makes it something special.

Within Chicago’s golf world George and Tom were the architects for Butler National, the all-male Oak Brook club that hosted the Western Open from 1974-90, and Tom II for Conway Farms, site of September’s BMW Championship.

George and Tom had long been busy at PGA National. They were also the original designers of The Champion Course, which was the site of the 1983 Ryder Cup and the 1987 PGA Championship, won by Larry Nelson. My only previous visit to the resort was to report on that ’87 PGA, one which I remember most for the sultry August heat that somewhat overshadowed the golf played that week. This time the golf was more peaceful, with even some curious cranes (below) roaming the fairways with the golfers.

PGA National underwent some major changes prior to my return, most in the form of a $100 million renovation that included the creation of The Fazio.

The Champion Course underwent a $4 million redesign by Jack Nicklaus’ his design team in 1990 followed by a renovation in 2002. That’s when the Bear Trap – billed as one of the toughest three-hole stretches in golf – was born.

I didn’t get to play The Champion Course, as it was being readied for the return of the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic. Nor did I play The Estates Course, a Karl Litten design and the only one of the PGA National layouts located off the main resort. It’s about five miles away.

My other golf was played at The Palmer Course, which also has some interesting history. It was an Arnold Palmer signature course when it opened in 1984 as The General. Palmer supervised a total renovation in 2006, which led to the renaming of the layout. It produced the most enjoyable of my three rounds during the stay. The other round was on the Squire, a 1981 Tom Fazio creation that honored Gene Sarazen – the first golfer to win the professional Grand Slam. You have to cope with some blind shots to fully appreciate this course.


The big-money renovation has significantly changed PGA National, for those who might remember it just from its earlier years. For golfers, it now includes Dave Pelz and David Ledbetter teaching academies. All 379 guest rooms received total makeovers in the renovation as did the popular breakfast buffet, then named Citrus Tree Café and now called Palm Terrace.

We stayed on the resort throughout our stay, played fun social golf were three very nice couples (among them Ed and Linda Alberts of Williamsport, Pa., above) and visited most of the dining spots, including the high-end Ironwood Steak & Seafood. Easily our favorite was the iBAR, which put on one of the best Happy Hours we’ve ever experienced.
The resort also has a expansive pool area (right), croquet, tennis and a variety of other attractions. But, appropriately, the best is the golf.

IT ZIEHMS TO ME: A fitting honor for Bill Ogden

A golf professional’s job was much different when Bill Ogden ran the shop at North Shore Country Club. Ogden not only could compete at the highest level, but he also was a master at handling the detail work that was required on the job.

The Chicago area never has had a club pro as widely successful as Ogden, and his myriad of accomplishments were recognized this week when he was named among eight inductees into the PGA Golf Professionals Hall of Fame. He’ll be inducted posthumously at PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, FL., on March 12.

As a competitor Ogden was the Illinois PGA Player-of-the-Year a record six times and the only golfer to win the Illinois Open, Illinois PGA Championship, IPGA Match Play title and IPGA Assistants crown.

From 1953-72 Ogden won 31 of the section’s major titles and also competed effectively in PGA Tour events, gaining a tie for third in the 1956 Bing Crosby National Pro-Am and a tie for fourth in the 1968 Tucson Open.

Ogden was much more than a player, though. In his 40 years in charge at North Shore he became well known for grooming his assistants. Forty-three of them went on to land head jobs.

In 1970 Ogden was not only the IPGA president, he was also the section’s Professional-of-the-Year – and North Shore wasn’t exactly a full-time job for him. In the winters he was head professional at five different clubs in Palm Springs, Calif., between 1970 and 1980.

Ogden was the man among Illinois pros when I came on the golf-writing scene here in 1971. He retired from North Shore shortly after that and lived in California until his death at age 78 in 2005.

NU goes for a four-peat

Illinois, ranked 17th in the national collegiate polls, is the top-seeded team for the fifth straight year in the Big Ten Match Play Championships, which begin Friday at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Concession course in Bradenton, FL.

The Illini, though, have never won the league’s Match Play event. Northwestern has dominated, winning the last three titles. The Wildcats are the second-best Big Ten team in the national rankings, standing 29th.

KemperSports adds Harborside

KemperSports manages a wide variety of golf facilities in 26 states as well as internationally. Now the Northbrook-based firm will take on one of Chicago’s premier public facilities, 36-hole Harborside International.

Harborside, designed by Dick Nugent, was one of the first golf facilities created on what had been a landfill. Its development was a big boost for the far South Side, and now it’ll get the Kemper touch.

“We plan to introduce a variety of new programs at Harborside to cater to the residents of Chicago and surrounding areas,’’ said Kemper chief executive officer Steve Skinner. “We look forward to elevating the service, playing conditions and guest experience to make Harborside a must-play for Chicago golfers and visitors to the city.’’

Wadkins featured at Chicago Golf Show

World Golf Hall of Famer Lanny Wadkins will take over center stage on the second day of the 30th Chicago Golf Show, which comes to the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont from Feb. 22-24.

Wadkins was just named as lead analyst for Champions Tour telecasts on The Golf Channel and he’ll be in Chicago to promote the new Encompass Championship, which comes to North Shore June 21-23. That event will mark the first Champions Tour stop in Chicago since 2002 when Harborside hosted.

NAPLES: Golf in this winter vacation mecca is…er, different

NAPLES, FL. – Yes, Naples is one of the most beautiful cities in the United States. And, yes, it has one of the best year-around climates. Temperatures were ideal for the entire month we stayed there.

This winter hotspot in southwest Florida has plenty to entice you. Good restaurants are in ample supply (though on the pricy side). The Dock, Turtle Club and newly-opened Masa – a very different type of Mexican place – were our favorites. Campiello’s wasn’t bad, either.

A two-hour bus tour of the area introduced to some beautiful homes and a wide range of tourist attractions.

And then there was, of course, the golf. The Naples area lists 91 courses, and we played 10. Sarasota, the winter retreat of a year ago, is only two hours away but the golf was preferable there. It’s not that Naples golf was bad, but it was different.

Our goal – as is always the case on our travels – is to play a wide variety of places and that means looking for the best values. No matter where you go, it’s nice to learn about a new area at least in part by playing its golf courses. In Naples that wasn’t so easy. In-season prices were discouraging, for one thing. And it seemed like most of the courses wanted to be considered private – but most weren’t. You could call and frequently get on.

There was a striking similarity to their entrances, be it Heritage Bay, The Quarry, Naples Heritage, TwinEagles (see photo above), Bonita Bay. And the holes generally had fairways with lodging on one side and water or more lodging on the other. One local that I played with said – without malice – that they looked like bowling alleys. Truthfully, that wasn’t so much a negative as it was a general description of how things are.

Thank goodness for the availability of golfnow.com. Not sure we could have played golf the way we like to play it without that website.

We enjoyed our condo in one golf community (Heritage Bay), but never could wangle a tee time there — though the 27 holes available were at least nominally open for public play (it was a new golfnow.com offering) and clearly not in full use.

The most notable round of our stay was the last one – at TwinEagles, a 36-hole private club with an enviable history. In 2012 it hosted events on two of the major world tours – the Ace Group Classic on the Champions Tour and the CME Titleholders Championship on the Ladies PGA Tour.

Jack Nicklaus designed TwinEagles’ Talon course, which was being prepared for the Champions Tour return in February. The Champions circuit played an event on the Talon from 2002-06 and returned in 2012. It produced some great winners – Hale Irwin, Loren Roberts and Kenny Perry among them — and Tom Watson was a runner-up there three times.

We played the Eagle, originally known as the Aerie course designed by Gary Player. Steve Smyers, who did a great job in renovating the South Course at Olympia Fields in recent years, completed a remake of the Eagle in January of 2012 and it hosted the LPGA event 11 months later.

The Eagle was much different – in a most positive way – from all the other courses we played in Naples. For one thing, virtually every green was significantly elevated (see photo above). I don’t know if I’ve ever played greens so large and so undulating. Using the putter from far off the putting surfaces was a good option on many holes (see photo below). The style took some getting used to, but it was refreshing.

Of the other courses we tested only three billed themselves as “public.’’ ArrowHead, designed by the respected Gordon Lewis, was the best value (and the only course we played more than once). Valencia was fine, too, and those two layouts were also the most welcoming. Though they declared themselves public, they, too, were built within housing areas.

Hibiscus was the other self-declared public layout, and it was the only free-standing (not connected with a specific residential area) one. Hibiscus had a cheerful new clubhouse, well-done yardage book (not a given at the Naples courses we visited) and the most memorable hole – the challenging par-5 14th which featured a shot to the green over a pond lined with beautiful bougainvillea. The flowering hibiscus was a feature throughout the layout, which was built in 1969.

Other than TwinEagles, the course that stood out the most was Panther Run. Its name seemed a secret, as its signage more clearly identified the layout more as part of the Del Webb community in the most interesting little town of Ave Maria rather than by its designated name. A preseason training base for soccer’s Chicago Fire, Ave Maria is a small, upscale community with a big church as the centerpiece. Not only does it include the Del Webb community for retirees, it also includes a small college campus.

The golf course – another Lewis design — was a cut above the others on our menu of those reasonably priced. It had wide fairways and could be stretched to 7,532 yards – very much a fun track to play.

The first course we played was also one of the better ones. Herons Glen was part of a bustling country club setting in the nearby town of North Ft. Myers.

Perhaps the prettiest layout was Spanish Wells, in Bonita Springs. It had three nines, which is always a big plus. The South, the first nine we played, had extremely tight fairways and our cart went dead on the seventh hole. It took an unusually long time for staff personnel to rescue us, so that bad experience detracted from our appraisal of the facility.

Lely Resort also had more than 18 holes. It had two 18-holers, and we played the Flamingo Island Club – a fairly challenging layout that had the same rating (75.1) and slightly higher slope (138 to 137) than its companion, the Mustang course.

Quail Village was also a tight one, and its space was limited. The course played 4,873 yards from the back tees.

One striking thing about our overall golfing experience in the Naples area was our playing partners. Of the three couples we were randomly paired with, all were from outside the United States. Two were from Montreal and one from Munich, Germany. All were very nice people and added some special memories to this golf getaway.

PGA MERCHANDISE SHOW: LPGA introduces International Crown event

ORLANDO, FL. – The Ladies PGA Tour is returning to Chicago – but it won’t be until 2016. And then it will be for the staging of an extraordinary new team event.

Mike Whan, the LPGA commissioner, highlighted the first day of the 60th PGA Merchandise Show by announcing the arrival of the International Crown event. It’ll make its debut July 21-27 at Caves Valley, a Tom Fazio design in Owings Mills, Md., and the second staging will be in the summer of 2016 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove.

Jerry Rich, owner and designer of the Rich Harvest private facility that hosted the 2009 Solheim Cup matches, was a leader in making the new event happen.

“Three days after Mike became commissioner (in 2010)_ I brought him to Chicago and said we’ve got to do something special,’’ said Rich. “The greatest players aren’t just from America. They’re from Asia and around the world.’’

That started the planning process that led to Thursday’s announcement before a standing-room-only press conference at the Orange County Convention Center.

Rich Harvest’s Solheim Cup was a rousing success, but didn’t lead to the return of an LPGA annual stop to Chicago. The LPGA has only sporadically staged tournaments on Chicago courses, the last being the Kellogg-Keebler Classic at Stonebridge, in Aurora, in 2004.

That tourney had a three-year run in the aftermath of the U.S. Women’s Open being played at Merit Club in Libertyville in 2000. Karrie Webb won at Merit Club and at the last Kellogg-Keebler with Annika Sorenstam dominating at Stonebridge in 2002 and 2003.

The International Crown, though, will top all those and might well rival the success of the Solheim with the top players world-wide guaranteed to compete.

“At the Solheim Cup (of 2009) we had the largest event (the LPGA) ever had,’’ said Rich. “We had 120,000 people in Chicago – the greatest golf city in the world. Maybe this (new) event won’t approach the Ryder Cup that we just had at Medinah, but it will be huge.’’

Rich probably could have hosted the 2014 International Crown, but decided against it.

“I needed four years to wait because of our junior programs,’’ said Rich. His staff has studied the nearly 2,000 high school girls programs in five states. Those players, along with college players, will be invited to the International Crown with lodging already being arranged at Northern Illinois University and Aurora College.

The International Crown will present a different type of competition and have a broader world-wide appeal than the LPGA’s previous tries at one-week individual championships here. Whan predicted the event will “take women’s golf to the next level and allow fans to rally behind their homelands.’’

The International Crown will be held in even-numbered years to avoid conflict with the Solheim Cup. It’ll feature 32 players from eight countries battling to determine, according to the LPGA, “the world’s best golf nation.’’

Competition will be over four days, three for best-ball matches and one for singles matches. Teams will be determined by the top four players on the Rolex World Rankings after the 2013 CME Group Titleholders event, the last tourney of the LPGA season. If the International Crown were to be held now the eight teams participating would be South Korea, the U.S., Japan, Sweden, Australia, Taiwan, Spain and England.

The four players who will compete for each country when the competition begins will be determined at a later date.

“Our tour is so global, we need this type of an event,’’ said Stacey Lewis, the top-ranked American player. “People always want to know why golfers from Asia are so good. Now we can see how all the countries stack up.’’

Taiwan’s long-time world No. 1 player, Yani Tseng, likened the lead-in to the International Crown to “preparing for the Olympics.’’ The Rich Harvest version of the International Crown will about a month before the Olympics in Brazil, when golf will make its return to the Games.

The first International Crown event will offer a $1.6 million purse with each member of the winning team receiving $100,000. Ambassadors and financial supporters will be announced at a later date as will the nature of the trophy going to the winning nation

PGA MERCHANDISE SHOW: Tour Edge introduces variable fit driver

ORLANDO, FL. – The 60th annual PGA Merchandise Show teed off with a massive Demo Day on Wednesday but Chicago club manufacturer Tour Edge got a jump on the opposition a day early.

The Batavia-based company, in its eighth annual Multi-Manufacturers Media Day outing at the Legacy Club, introduced its first variable-fit driver. It was just one in a line of new products unveiled by Tour Edge president David Glod, but it drew the most attention.


Tour Edge isn’t the first company to test variable-fit clubs. Putter manufacturers were the first to do it, and now it’s spreading throughout the industry.

With Tour Edge’s Exotic line of clubs (shown above) a players can change the loft, face angle and shaft.

“You have options at your fingertips,’’ said Glod, who founded his company in 1986. “We’re planning on having an adjustable fairway wood, too, but it’s too net yet. It makes more sense with the driver.’’

Glod accepts the trend toward such state-of-the-art equipment and believes it’ll be around for awhile.

“It’s a great technology,’’ he said, “but it depends on the consumer. The guy who studies the game gets it. That’s why it’s been sticking around.’’


Training devices are also getting increasingly high-tech. Sky Golf, a pioneer in developing electronic yardage books with its Sky Caddie, now also offers Sky Pro – a swing analyzer that the company bills as “one of the most exciting products in golf today.’’ Many more were on display, in a series of colorful displays (pictured above), at the Demo Day lead-in to the PGA Merchandise show.

Swing Jacket, which isn’t so high-tech, is back on the market after a fire burned down its production facility in China. A player wears the tight-fitting jacket on the practice range and instructor Dave Brisbee says that player’s swing “can’t get out of position….It constrains range of motion to affect a better swing.’’

And then there’s Polara, a company not reluctant to admit that it’s equipment is usually “non-conforming’’ with the rules of the U.S. Golf Assn.

Polara drew plenty of attention with its no-slice golf balls. Now president David Felker said Polara is going into wedges, the first of which will be on the market before the year it out. Polara says its wedges “will help the ball spin more,’’ and Felker admits “it’s very unlikely’’ that they will conform to USGA specifications.

Still, the company believes it’s helping golf grow by making it an easier game for the estimated 85 percent of players who don’t carry USGA handicaps. To that end Polara is joining forces with the new Recreational Golf Assn. of America to push its products with more casual golfers.

The big show has plenty of golfers of all shades of interest. Over 40,000 will attend the three days of exhibits at the orange County Convention Center. Attendees will come from about 75 countries and walk down 10 miles of show alleys to check out the products of more than 1,000 manufacturers and brands.

Wednesday’s Demo Day, held at the Orange County National Golf Center in Winter Garden, drew out over 100 manufacturers. The Center has a circular range with 200 hitting bays spread over a 42-acre practice facility.

All the top manufacturers, including Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Good and Tour Edge, had the wares on display at Demo Day. So did other major manufacturers Bridgestone, Callaway Cleveland/Srixon, Cobra Puma, Mizuno, Nike, Ping, TaylorMade and Titleist.

Stars players past and president will also be making appearances, among them Davis Love III, Annika Sorenstam, Ian Poulter, Luke Donald, Lexi Thompson, Lee Trevino and Nancy Lopez. Ricky Fowler had a big presence — or at least his hat did. An enlarged replica of Fowler’s orange headgear enticed lots of picture takers — even though Fowler wasn’t there.

IT ZIEHMS TO ME: It’s Show-time for WGA; IPGA moves Players Championship

The Chicago Golf Show will get a big boost for its 30th anniversary staging next month.

Rarely has the show, to be held Feb. 22-24 at the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, had a presenting sponsor. The last time the Show was so blessed was in 2009, when South Carolina golf mecca Myrtle Beach took the leadership role.

This time the show will be presented by the BMW Championship, the Western Golf Association’s premier event. If ever there was a win-win situation in golf, this is it. The show needed a high profile link with the PGA Tour, and the BMW Championship has to rekindle interest among Chicago golfers. They didn’t get to see the FedEx Cup playoff event last year – it was held in Indianapolis – and it’ll have a new course for its return to Chicago in September.

Since 1991 the tourney used Cog Hill in Lemont as its Chicago home. This year it’ll be staged Sept. 9-15 at Conway Farms, a private facility in Lake Forest.

“We’ve always had a booth at the Show,’’ said Vince Pellegrino, the WGA’s tournament director, “but this year we thought we should take a more active role. We’re in an educational process, and we’ll do everything we can to create awareness. This is another vehicle for us to spread the word about the BMW going to Conway Farms.’’

Show visitors (usually numbering around 20,000) will find BMW Championship promotional material prominently displayed when they walk through the doors Feb. 22-24 and the first 200 will receive two free tickets to practice rounds for the tourney proper.

The WGA, which raises money for college scholarships for caddies, has found it profitable to move the BMW Championship to golf-starved locations in alternate years and last year underscored the wisdom of doing that. The 2012 BMW, at Crooked Stick, was named the PGA Tour’s Tournament of the Year.

While most the WGA’s PGA Tour events have been held in Chicago since the first Western Open of 1899, the event will take on a new look in 2013. Conway Farms, the home course of tour star Luke Donald, has never hosted a PGA Tour event.

“In changing locations we’ve had to start from scratch,’’ said Pellegrino. “We’ve been working with (officials from) the city of Lake Forest and Lake County for several months. They’ve been extremely engaged with us, and we’re very pleased with the support we’ve received.’’

Metamora Fields gets IPGA’s last major

The Illinois PGA will make a major tournament change. The section’s last major, on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, won’t be held at Eagle Ridge Resort in Galena – its long-time home base – in 2013.

Instead, the event will shift to Metamora Fields, a new course in Peoria. Metamora Fields opened in July, 2011. The layout was designed by PGA Tour veteran D.A. Weibring and his lead architect, Steve Wolfard. Weibring, who grew up in Quincy and went to college at Illinois State, was the 1987 Western Open champion. His design work includes TPC Deere Run, the site of the PGA Tour’s annual John Deere Classic – a tourney that Weibring also won during his days on the circuit.

A longer Western Amateur

The WGA, which will conduct four championships for the first time in 2013, is altering the format of its tradition-rich Western Amateur.

Not only will the Western Am move out of Chicago for the first time in five years, it’ll also get a new format. No longer will there be a 36-hole session for the low 44 and ties after the first two rounds of the 72-hole stroke play qualifying.

The July 29-Aug. 4 tourney was moved to the Alotian Club in Arkansas, a move Pellegrino said was made to take advantage of “a unique opportunity to go to a very exclusive place.’’

Temperatures figure to be higher in Arkansas than they’ve been in Chicago, so now the field will be play 18 holes Tuesday-Friday with the top 16 players settling the title in two days of match play after that. That means the competition will be spread over six days instead of five.

“The Alotian Club isn’t like Exmoor or North Shore (Chicago courses that hosted the last two Western Ams). Those courses were easy to walk. The Alotian Club is a challenge to walk, with a lot of undulation. It’ll be an endurance test.’’

Pellegrino expects the old format to be in place when the tournament resumes its Chicago rotation in 2014.

Did you know?

X—Two more Chicago private clubs will have new head professionals this season. Assistant Brian Brown moved up at Naperville, replacing the retired Jim Arendt, and Brandon Adair is moving from Prestwick to take over at Midlothian.

X – Northbrook-based KemperSports has received another honor. It was named Club Management Company of the Year by BoardRoom magazine. Kemper added four private facilities to its portfolio in 2012 – Rockledge in Florida, Quail Lodge in California, Andover in Kentucky and Victory Ranch in Utah. The award will be presented at the Club Managers Assn. of America World Conference in San Diego next month.

X – Northwestern women’s coach Emily Fletcher has landed another prize recruit. Minji Luo, the California high school champion, will enroll at NU in the fall. She qualified for both the U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Girls Junior Amateur in 2012.