TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – Golf course openings are rare in these tough economic times. Three decades ago that wasn’t the case, but none back then were as celebrated as Jack Nicklaus’ The Bear at Grand Traverse Resort. Grand Traverse, then just five years old, took an extraordinary step when The Bear was ready for play….
Author: lenz
Hallberg has been Chicago’s best ever home-grown golfer
No Chicago-born and raised golfer has accomplished more than Gary Hallberg, and now he’s coming back. Hallberg was a state high school champion at Barrington, an Illinois Open winner twice, an NCAA champion at Wake Forest and the first player to earn PGA Tour playing privileges without going to qualifying school. As a professional he…
Encompass outing is memorable with putter announcement looming
Officials for the Encompass Championship, which brings golf’s Champions Tour back to Chicago for the first time in 12 years next month, held their kickoff event on Monday at North Shore Country Club in Glenview. They announced the latest player commitments for the June 17-23 event included 16 major championships winners – Mark Calcavecchia, Ben…
IPGA MATCH PLAY: Malm notches an historic repeat
Curtis Malm won both player-of-the-year awards handed out by the Illinois PGA last year, and – judging by what happened in the first of the section’s four major championships of 2013 – there’s no reason to think he won’t pull off another sweep this season. Malm became the first player in 25 years to win…
Chicago 10 must travel to find a U.S. Open sectional this year
Chicago’s two local qualifying tournaments for the U.S. Open are over. Now comes the hard part for the 10 golfers who survived. They were the lucky ones among the 180 who entered the 18-hole eliminations at Northmoor, in Highland Park, and Seven Bridges, in Woodridge, the last two weeks. Next up is the U.S. Golf…
CENTRAL MICHIGAN: New lodge triggers a rebirth for Forest Dunes
ROSCOMMON, Mich. – There never was a doubt about the quality of the 18 holes at Forest Dunes. The course has consistently been ranked as the No. 2 public layout in golf-rich Michigan, behind Arcadia Bluffs. A Tom Weiskopf design that opened in 1999, Forest Dunes is –in the words of general manager Todd Campbell…
Martin’s Fox Run, Arrowhead renovations are unveiled
April storms created a nightmare for Chicago’s golf course operators, but they were especially troublesome at Fox Run, the Elk Grove Park District facility. Fox Run has undergone a $2 million renovation for two years under the supervision of Aurora architect Greg Martin. He started on the front nine in 2011 and completed the back…
MEDINAH’S RYDER CUP MEMOIR: The biggest of our book projects
The 39th Ryder Cup matches, held in September of 2012 at Medinah Country Club, provided plenty of drama world-wide. An inside look at that big global sports event was developed in a Special Edition produced for Medinah’s membership. Len Ziehm authored this 144-page book, which was produced by Nick Novelli, Medinah’s Archival Director. A professional…
Celebrity pro-am will make new Champions Tour event special
Tampa’s loss is Chicago’s gain. The Champions Tour is preparing for its return to Chicago after an 11-year absence, and the new version will be much different than the 12 tournaments played here from 1991-2002. The Encompass Championship will be top-heavy in pro-ams when it takes over North Shore Country Club in Glenview from June…
Celebrity involvement will make Encompass a spectator-friendly tourney
The Champions Tour is returning to the Chicago area for the first time since 2002 and nobody – repeat nobody – is as happy about this most positive development as I am. Chicago’s been losing its pro tour stops, and the return of the Champions will help correct that. The Encompass Championship will be held…