NEKOOSA, Wisconsin – I accept the premise that if you have one 18-holer you have a golf course, but if you have two – or more – you have a golf destination. Well, Sand Valley is definitely a golf destination now. This Mike Keiser-developed facility in Central Wisconsin opened its first course on May 2,…
Author: lenz
Sunset Valley’s re-opening had some special touches
Not all new golf courses have the kind of re-opening celebration that Sunset Valley had this week. Joel Hirsch, a legendary amateur in the Chicago golf ranks, and Patrick Flavin, winner of both the Illinois State Amateur and Illinois Open just a year ago, were the featured attractions. Both started playing golf at Sunset Valley…
TAM O’SHANTER
Location: Niles, Illinois. Architect: Charles Wagstaff, 1925. Restoration: Bob Lohman, Doug Myslinski and Todd Quitno, 2018. Par: 33 Yardage| Rating/Slope: 2,475 (for nine holes) |63.2/110 (when played as 18-holes). Saturday morning green fee: $21. Caddie service: No. (Gas carts and pull carts available). Walker friendly: Absolutely. Fairways: bentgrass. Greens: bentgrass. Phone: 847-965-2344 Website: WWW.GOLFTAM.COM Facebook:…
Sage Run’s drumlin will make a big impact on Michigan golf
BARK RIVER/HARRIS, Michigan – Very few new golf courses are opening these days. That’s just a reflection of these economic times. One did in July in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, however. The Paul Albanese-designed Sage Run is brand new. It’s no renovation built over an existing course. This one was created on previously untouched land as…
Jim Sobb is a golf professional with a great record as a player as well
Jim Sobb’s playing record speaks for itself. The 30-year director of golf at Ivanhoe Club won eight of the Illinois PGA’s four major tournaments, including the IPGA Championship three times. He also won nine of the section’s Senior majors, and this month he’ll go after his sixth title in the IPGA Senior Championship. He has…
Illinois Open win puts Vince India in select state golf company
Unless your name is Vince India the 69th playing of the Illinois Open will likely be an easily forgettable experience. Annually the biggest tournament for Illinois residents, this year’s version was a weather nightmare. Heavy rains delayed the first and second rounds. The weather cleared for the third round, but it couldn’t start until second-round…
After an array of upgrades historic Tam O’Shanter is thriving again
Six decades ago the Tam O’Shanter Country Club in suburban Chicago was among the most famous golf courses in the world. It was owned by George S. May back then, and May was a man far ahead of his time when it came to golf promotion. Tam O’Shanter opened in 1925. May took ownership in…
No reason to think Small won’t make it win No. 13 in IPGA Championship
The Illinois PGA Championship has been Mike Small’s personal playground for nearly two decades and there’s no reason to think that the 96th playing of the tournament this month at Stonewall Orchard in Grayslake should be any different. The University of Illinois men’s coach has won the IPGA title a record 12 times, his first…
PGA Tour schedule for 2018-19 will require some fresh thinking
I did enough venting about this year’s tournament schedule in our last issue. Then – wouldn’t you know it? – the PGA Tour made its plans for the 2018-19 wrap-around season official. There’s lots of food for thought when you analyze that one. Just knowing the PGA Tour dates isn’t enough to project how our…
Hammer’s Western Amateur win was one for the ages
This week’s Illinois Open will be hard-pressed to duplicate the drama provided in the Western Amateur, which concluded on Saturday with one of the most dramatic championship matches in the event’s 116-year history. Cole Hammer, an incoming freshman at the University of Texas, was 4-up on Alabama senior-to-be Davis Riley with eight holes to play…