Author: lenz

A busy year already, but Streelman can finally focus on the Masters

Next week’s Masters tournament may be the first highlight event of the year for most golfers, but not for Kevin Streelman.

The only Chicago area player to qualify for the Masters has had an eventful year already. Most of it has been good – but not all. Streelman returns to the PGA Tour for this week’s Shell Houston Open still celebrating the birth of his son, Rhett Davis, on March 22.

Until Rhett’s arrival it was doubtful that Streelman would even play in the Masters. His wife Courtney’s due date was on the Saturday of Masters week and the couple dealt with a difficult delivery when their first child, daughter Sophia, was born three years ago. Sophia arrived six weeks early via C-section, and Streelman had vowed he wouldn’t play in the Masters until Courtney gave birth again.

“My family is more important than any silly thing we do on grass,’’ Streelman had declared as Rhett’s delivery time closed in. “I’ll always be there for my wife.’’

With all things well on the home front Streelman confirmed on Monday that he’d play at Houston – his first tournament since back-to-back missed cuts at the Valspar Championship and Bay Hill Invitational in Florida earlier this month. His last full tournament was a tie for 17th at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Feb. 21.

“Golf wasn’t high on my priority list after that,’’ admitted Streelman. “It’s been a big month, but I’m on top of the world now.’’

Streelman left for Houston on Tuesday hoping to regain the form he had a month ago on the PGA Tour’s West Coast swing. He did little more than putt on a practice green in his basement since then.

The strong finish at Pebble Beach concluded a great month on the West Coast, as Streelman tied for 11th in the Career Builder Challenge in LaQuinta, Calif., and finished third in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. Those strong finishes account for the bulk of his $814,710 in season winnings.

Other major developments in Streelman’s life came both before and after the California tournaments. In February he was named co-chairman of the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council. That’s a three-year commitment as leader of a 16-player group that plays a major role in determining PGA policy.

Immediately after the Pebble Beach tournament Streelman had to pull off the circuit for three weeks to deal with a health concern of his own. Doctors advised the removal of a nickel-size mole from his stomach and that required two surgeries and more healing time.

Streelman said the surgery “came out fine,’’ but he withdrew from the Northern Trust Open at Los Angeles-based Riviera after the surgical procedure required 10 stitches. Then came the sub-par showings in Florida while Courtney’s delivery status was in limbo.

Now Streelman can focus on the Masters – the first of the year’s four major championships. He’s in the field thanks to his tie for 12th in last year’s Masters, and also won the tourney’s popular Par-3 contest in 2015.

Though Streelman, 37, has two PGA Tour wins – Tampa Bay in 2013 and Hartford in 2014, plus the Kodak Challenge special event of 2009 – he hasn’t seriously contended for a major title. His caddie, A.J. Montecinos, has some experience with that, however. He carried for champion Y.E. Yang in the 2009 PGA Championship.

Streelman and Montecinos were born in the same hospital in Winfield (though in different years), and Streelman grew up in Wheaton before playing collegiately at Duke. He turned pro in 2001 and has retained his Chicago connections while establishing residence in Arizona.

He’s returned for special events at Cantigny, the public course where he first developed his game, and has long played with clubs made by Chicago manufacturer Wilson Sporting Goods. Streelman also works with Chicago swing instructor Jake Thurm.

The tie for 12th at last year’s Masters matched Streelman’s best showing in a major championship (he also tied for 12th in the 2013 PGA Championship) and his world ranking has dropped a bit from last year, to No. 116.

That’s not as high as Luke Donald, the former Northwestern star and world No. 1 in 2012. Donald will miss the Masters for the first time since 2004. He needed to be in the top 50 to get in the field off the world rankings, and he’s now No. 92. Donald has only one top-25 finish in nine events this season but came close to another on Sunday when he tied for 26th at the Puerto Rican Open.

Streelman won’t be the only Chicago area golfer at Augusta National, though. The Illinois Junior Golf Assn. will be well represented in Sunday’s Drive, Chip & Putt national finals. Schaumburg’s Emily Duan and Vernon Hills’ Christian Kim made it in the 10-11 divisions and Crystal Lake’s Eric Klutke and South Barrington’s Stephanie Su in the 12-13 age group.

The `other’ Pinehurst offers pretty nifty golf, too

The Nos. 9 and 18 holes share the same green, creating a striking finish to each nine at Mid South Club.
PINEHURST, North Carolina – Make no mistake. Pinehurst is at the very top of the world’s golf resorts. That hasn’t changed. The nine courses there — coupled with the other amenities provided at its Carolina Hotel, Holly Inn, Manor Inn and related condos — make Pinehurst a very special destination.

The term Pinehurst, though, doesn’t refer to just one golf resort in the eyes of most golfers. Pinehurst is an area as well that encompasses the neighboring towns of Southern Pines and Aberdeen. With their restaurants and other golf communities, they also enhance the overall Pinehurst experience.

Regular visitors may already be aware of this, but it’s possible to get as good (or maybe even better) a golf experience by visiting the other facilities nearby as it is to stay just at the big resort.

Some of the others have joined forces to offer golf packages as well. For instance, how about a three-round trip in which you play Dormie Club, Mid South and Talamore? They’re all within a few miles of the big resort and – though none have a famous course like Pinehurst No. 2 – their layouts are plenty good.

That’s just one option. Here’s a synopsis of what you’ll get if you try out nearby facilities that don’t include Pinehurst Resort’s nine layouts.

The rustic, natural look underscores the toughness of the Dormie Club layout.

DORMIE CLUB – This layout, four miles north of the village of Pinehurst, has been rated the second-best public course in North Carolina by Golf Digest magazine, behind only Pinehurst’s legendary No. 2. As most of you know, I don’t take all the formal polls as gospel, but Dormie Club does stand out from the other area courses.

The design team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw designed this one, which opened in 2010. Its most defining feature is the 80 feet of elevation changes. You don’t get that in many places in the Carolinas.

Couple the elevation with the natural lakes, pine forests and sandy waste areas that were incorporated into the design and you have a most memorable golf experience on a course that doesn’t quite reach 7,000 yards from the tips. The course has a rustic, natural look with beds of pinecones defining many of the areas between greens and tees.

The clubhouse is a very modest one, and that’s as much a part of the charm as the understated logo and limited signage around the place. The fairways are generous and the greens huge, but there’s no letup. This is a challenging layout all the way around.

Challenging is also a term for describing of the course’s history. The original plan was for a walking-only private club that had a $140,000 initiation fee. That changed in tougher economic times, and the course has been opened to the public and carts are available. Reverting back to a private club isn’t out of the realm of possibility, however.

Mid South Club has one of the most attractive clubhouses in the Pinehurst area.

MID SOUTH CLUB

This may be the best course in Arnold Palmer’s design portfolio. (It’s definitely the best of the many that I’ve played).

Located in Southern Pines, it’s a beautiful course with a clubhouse to match in a very pleasant gated residential community. Nos. 9 and 18 share the same green, and that makes for a great view from the clubhouse above. The course, which opened in 1993, has hosted qualifiers for the U.S. Open, U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Amateur.

Both the course and practice areas at Mid South were in excellent condition during our early spring visit and the layout, which could play anywhere from 4,773 yards to 7,003, offered something for all level of golfer. Without doubt Mid South is one of my very favorite courses in all of the Pinehurst area.

Few courses include llamas as part of the ambience, but they’re a feature at Talamore.

TALAMORE

This is the sister course for Mid South, a user-friendly Rees Jones design that opened in 1991.

Jones later fine-tuned Pinehurst No. 2 for the U.S. Opens of 1999 and 2005 but Talamore is much different that the area’s premier championship venue. Its most unusual feature are the three llamas fenced in between the No. 13 green and No. 14 tee. About 10 years ago llamas were used as caddies at Talamore and they remain part of the club’s logo. More recently the club added the Llama Pen Bar & Grill as part of a major series of upgrades.

In fact, few courses in all of Pinehurst have made as many upgrades as Talamore, which is one of the host courses for golf and lodging in the U.S. Kids World Championship that is played at a variety of area courses.

One of the most significant upgrades at Talamore is yet to come. Following the lead of nearby courses Mid-Pines, Tobacco Road and The Legacy, Talamore will convert its bentgrass greens to Bermuda in May.

Pine Needles practice area includes a big putting green and shelter from the elements.

PINE NEEDLES/MID PINES

I mention these together because the two Donald Ross-designed layouts were both ranked in the Top 25 of GolfWeek magazine’s ranking of the Top Resort Course in the USA. The only other places to have two courses in that Top 25 are Pebble Beach, Bandon Dunes, Whistling Straits and Streamsong.

Pine Needles is a popular tournament venue, probably No. 2 behind Pinehurst No. 2 in that regard in the area. Pine Needles hosted the U.S. Women’s Open in 1996, 2001 and 2007 and will be the site of the second U.S. Senior Women’s Open in 2019. It is also the only course in all of Pinehurst to offer the new GolfBoards to its players.

Longleaf has changed its focus to developing young golfers.

LONGLEAF

Big plans are being made for this club since the U.S. Kids Golf Foundation purchased it last year and renamed it the Longleaf Golf & Family Club. For starters it has been named the home of the new U.S. Kids Golf Academy and the Foundation made immediate capital improvements to underscore the change in focus at the facility.

A state of the art practice area was among the upgrades and it included a 10,000 square foot putting green with a nine-hole putting course. This may be the area’s best spot for a family golf getaway.

Getting around on a GolfBoard is different — but well worth a try

Noted North Carolina author Lee Pace and I learned about the GolfBoard together at Pine Needles.

SOUTHERN PINES, North Carolina – The GolfBoard wasn’t exactly a smash hit when it made its debut at the PGA Merchandise Show in 2014. Still, those who tried this means of golf course transportation that falls somewhere between a skateboard and cart generally gave it favorable reviews.

During our ongoing roving nationwide tour of golf destinations we noticed that they were offered to players at World Golf Village and Myrtle Beach hotspots True Blue and Caledonia. Clearly GolfBoards weren’t going away with those places involved.

When we arrived at Pinehurst, so did the GolfBoards. Mike Phillips, whose main job is handling real estate at Pinehurst National, spearheaded their arrival and wanted me to participate in their introduction along with Lee Pace, the veteran author on all things Pinehurst. We were both excited and intrigued when the day arrived.

Phillips had Lee and I on GolfBoards with our two playing partners riding in a cart. We were given a brief tutorial near the practice range at Pine Needles, one of the premier facilities in the area (this Donald Ross design had hosted three U.S. Women’s Opens and will host the second-ever U.S. Senior Women’s Open in 2019).

Mike Phillips gives Lee and I a briefing before we introduced GolfBoards to the Pinehurst area.

Lee and I felt like pioneers, as Phillips told us that Pine Needles would be the first course in the Pinehurst area to offer GolfBoards to its players. In fact, we used only the two demo models available. The four that will be available on a daily basis hadn’t even arrived yet.

Bringing in GolfBoards is not a decision that golf course operators will take lightly. These battery-powered four-wheelers aren’t cheap. Each one costs $6,500. They were invented by surfer Laird Hamilton and Florida businessman Don Wildman, a noted triathlete, skier and distance runner.

The golf bag is installed in the front of the GolfBoard and the player controls the speed from a lever just above it. You steer with the feet. That took some getting used to – especially for me. Lee immediately established himself as the better GolfBoarder.

Phillips, sensing my lack of confidence during the tutorial, assured me that all would be fine after three holes – and he was right. After three holes I thought I was on cruise control.

Learning how to surf the turf was a lark, and I’d like to do it again.

And then we headed to the fourth tee. Apparently I tried to go too fast over a rough patch of land just off the path used by the standard golf carts. Down I went. Though my pants took an irretrievable beating, I wasn’t hurt – only my ego. Embarrassed, I took the cautionary approach the rest of the way. Though these GolfBoards can go as fast as 12 miles per hour mine remained in low gear as I regained my confidence with no further incidents.

OK, so I took a spill. That’s all on me, not the GolfBoard.

I was never a surfer and barely a skier. Maybe a little more warmup time would have been helpful, but the bottom line is that the experience was fun, my golf game certainly didn’t suffer and – if anything – it improved the pace of play, as the GolfBoard could be taken places the traditional cart couldn’t.

I’m looking forward to trying the GolfBoard again. That shouldn’t be too difficult, as more and more courses are bringing them in to entice players. The manufacturer has reps across the country (Dave Weretka, publisher of Golf Chicago magazine, is the man in Illinois).

Two weeks earlier Joy had accepted an invitation to try the still newer Golf Bike, offered by officials at the Arthur Hills Course at Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort at Hilton Head. Unlike the GolfBoard, the bag sits behind the driver on the Golf Bike. She liked the Golf Bike, though her experience wasn’t super smooth, either. Hers Golf Bike fell over (when Joy wasn’t on it) and she wound up riding a hole with handlebars turned in the opposite direction. That made for a tough ride until she had realized what had happened.

Both the GolfBoard and GolfBike bring a new — most welcome — look to golf. Fitness-wise, they offer much more than the now too traditional carts – though walking should never be dismissed as an option to get around a golf course. The GolfBike was a tougher physical challenge than the GolfBoard but Phillips told me I’d probably be a bit sore the next day — “but in a good way,’’ he said – and he was right.

The GolfBoard offers health benefits to golfers and less damage to fairways. I’d advise you to give it a try.

Could Thistle be the best of Myrtle Beach’s gems?

The ninth hole of the Stewart nine was our most memorable hole at Thistle.

SUNSET BEACH, North Carolina – I’m frequently being tipped off about “hidden gem’’ golf courses. They’re in all parts of the country and are said to be great courses that are off the beaten path enough so that many golfers don’t know about them.

The last such course brought to my attention was Thistle Golf Club, a 27-hole facility that opened in 1999. Whether it fits the “hidden gem’’ category is a matter of opinion.

Without doubt it is a gem. We will get to that later.

Hidden? I’m not so sure. Granted it is a bit separated from the heart of Myrtle Beach, the American golf mecca. Thistle isn’t even in the same state. You have to cross state lines to get to Thistle, though it’s barely into North Carolina.

From that point it might be considered “hidden,’’ but a lot of golfers seemed to know all about it on our early-March visit. We had an 8:30 a.m. tee time and the parking lot was already buzzing when we arrived a half-hour ahead of that.

Thistle is an interesting place. All 27 holes were designed by Tim Cate, a staunch Myrtle Beach guy. He’s not widely known beyond that area, and Thistle is not his best known creation within it. An architect’s profile, however, isn’t what determines course quality in the end. It’s what the players of all abilities think, and they clearly liked Thistle during our visit.

Cate’s first design was Panther’s Run, at nearby Ocean Ridge Plantation. Since then Cate designed three other courses at that location.

His best known courses are, like Thistle, just across the North Carolina line. Leopard’s Chase was Golf Digest’s Best New Course in America in 2007 and Tiger’s Eye has been included in Golf Digest’s Top 100 twice.

A welcoming atmosphere is one of the things that make Thistle a special place.

Thistle, though, is something else. It has three nines – the Stewart, the MacKay and the Cameron. They are used interchangeably to set up 18-hole rounds. We played the Stewart and MacKay. The two longest nines – MacKay and Cameron – would not quite create a 7,000-yard course. They’d be three yards short.

Still, we found a well-conditioned, well-run facility that offered an unusual mix of holes. The Stewart nine had three par-3s and two par-5s and there was a stretch of four holes (Nos. 3-6) without a par-4. All the nines have five sets of tees and are basically equal in difficulty. MacKay/Cameron has the highest rating (74.3) but Cameron/Stewart has the top slope (138).

You get a warm and friendly feeling inside the Thistle clubhouse.

There are other noteworthy items at Thistle, starting with the scorecard. It claims the facility has roots in Leith, Scotland in 1815. That’s a stretch, but the very pleasant clubhouse has some interesting historical relics and it’s obvious that Cate wanted the holes to have a Scottish feel just like the clubhouse.

The atmosphere inside is very friendly, especially in the dining area. A real touch of class, though, came in the men’s lockerroom, where a flat-screen TV carried The Golf Channel above every urinal. I had never seen that before.

If Thistle is really a “hidden gem’’ it shouldn’t be. Thistle has a special feel and is well worth driving a few extra miles if you make a Myrtle Beach visit.

The First Tee: My grandson’s introduction to golf was much different than mine

Putting wasn’t part of the first session at First Tee but there was still time to use the practice green.

DURHAM, North Carolina — Everything that I had heard suggested The First Tee program was a most worthwhile thing, but I’d never seen the program in action until my grandson, Sterling Stewart, joined The First Tee of the Triangle for youngsters between the ages of 7-10.

Sterling, 7, had a better introduction to golf than I did. After hitting balls on a driving range with his father a few times he had tried The First Tee program at Hillandale golf course last year, but many of the sessions were rained out. Hopefully this spring’s sessions won’t be, but the first session seemed well worthwhile.

Hillandale is a municipal facility owned by the City of Durham. A basic, most friendly place, its 18-hole course is a Donald Ross design from the 1920s. It has a spacious practice range and First Tee headquarters are in a small building detached from the pro shop that could be used for very limited indoor instruction if needed.

Sterling was one of about 40 youngsters showing up with their parents for the initial First Tee session there of 2016. They gathered around picnic tables, then the youngsters were sent off for some basic exercises while the parents were given an overview of the program.

A bag of goodies to take home completed a big day for Sterling.
Understandably this was much different than my introduction to golf. I was 11 years old when my mother took me to watch a round of the Western Open. (I think she was as interested in watching Arnold Palmer as much as she was introducing me to golf).

After that experience turned out a pleasant one my mother rounded up one of her friends who had a son about my age. The four of us went out to play a round on a nearby Chicago public course. No practice, no instruction, just hit the ball and count your score.

Sterling’s First Tee program at Hillandale was much different than that. After the parent orientation the youngsters were divided into two groups – one for those younger ones (like Sterling) who were trying the program for the first time and the other for those generally older ones with at least limited experience with the program.

I had my doubts about the whole thing when Sterling’s group headed to the range without any clubs. The first lessons involved throwing golf balls, soccer balls and Frisbees. How did that have anything to do with learning about golf? I quickly found out.

Instructors helped each youngster when they made their first swings on the practice range.

The instructor used those teaching tools – the basics of the SNAG equipment created for Jerry Rich’s Kids Golf Foundation program at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, IL. – to stress the requirement of respect for playing partners and how to score per hole. Then it made sense to me.

Fortunately, the first session concluded with some hitting of golf balls. That to me was a must. Just talking about the game wouldn’t have been enough to sustain the youngster’s interest. With five hitting stations available each youngster took four-five swings with a pitching wedge, then another took over. After several rotations the club changed to a 7-iron. The 90-minute session concluded with each hitting a driver.

In each case instructors put the ball on a short tee to encourage success for the youngsters, and it worked. I was surprised how many could get the ball airborne for more than 100 yards. Most important they went away happy, with a feeling of accomplishment.

Before leaving, though, each was given a string backpack emblazoned with the First Tee logo. Each contained a golf cap, golf balls, tees and a program book that included homework assignments to be completed before the next session.

My prediction: Sterling’s is in for a good time with his First Tee experience over the next two months, and another future golfer will be the result.

A talk about showing respect was a key component to the first session at First Tee of the Triangle.

Professionally speaking, Dustin Johnson is all that Myrtle Beach needs

Memorabilia from Dustin Johnson’s PGA Tour career are featured in TPC Myrtle Beach’s clubhouse.

MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina – I love Myrtle Beach. There, I’ve said it again. With 100 courses in a very condensed area, there’s no golf destination quite like it.

After about a half dozen visits spread over several years there’s one thing I don’t quite understand about this golf mecca yet, however. None of the professional tours stop there, and only one prominent player, Dustin Johnson, calls Myrtle Beach home.

Why is that? I have asked around. The big pro tournaments, I’ve been told, cost too much money. The last one here was the Senior PGA Tour Championship, which ended a seven-year run in 2000 after losing its sponsorship.

My guess, though, is that the real reason the pro stops aren’t on the calendar is because Myrtle Beach doesn’t need them for promotional purposes. Besides, this area on the Atlantic seaboard near the North Carolina line is a place to play golf – not watch it.

Not only that, but Myrtle Beach does have a big event – the biggest in fact. The World Amateur has been played here for 32 years and draws over 3,000 players annually. More on that event later.

A fountain contributes to the ambience around the clubhouse at True Blue.

Perhaps more junior golf programs would stimulate more pro tour players, but Johnson is as big-time a player as there is in the game. He hasn’t won a major title yet, but he’s come close with runner-up finishes in both the 2011 British Open and 2015 U.S. Open. At 31, Johnson has nine wins on the PGA Tour and is currently No. 9 in the World Golf Rankings and he’s demonstrated his devotion to the community where his golf game blossomed.
Turtles in the huge bunker are part of drama at True Blue’s finishing hole.

Though he grew up in Columbia, S.C., Johnson established himself golf-wise as a college student athlete at Costal Carolina in Myrtle Beach. He spent much of his time then at the school’s General James Hackler Course as well as at TPC Myrtle Beach and the TPC connection continues to this day.

Basically Johnson has had a 10-year relationship with Myrtle Beach. He hosted the inaugural Dustin Johnson World Junior tournament in February and the Dustin Johnson Golf School is based at TPC Myrtle Beach, which also has a big display of Johnson memorabilia in its clubhouse. Through his charitable foundation Johnson has contributed $250,000 to junior golf in South Carolina and the World Junior is at his home club.

This hole, the par-4 17th, had a look like no other on our round at True Blue.

Even though he lives more in Florida and California now, Johnson still plays out of Myrtle Beach when he enters a tournament. TPC Myrtle Beach is a good fit for him. Designed by Tom Fazio with Lanny Wadkins acting as a consultant, that course opened in 1999 and hosted the last of Myrtle Beach’s PGA Tour stops the following year, Tom Watson winning the Senior PGA Tour Championship there.

TPC Myrtle Beach, located in Murrells Inlet, it a great track but not necessarily the best course that the area has to offer. Ranking them all is a very subjective thing, and my order of preference keeps changing. Right now top five would be: 1, Caledonia; 2, TPC Myrtle Beach; 3, Dunes Club; 4, True Blue; 5, Dye Course at Barefoot Resort. But that could change tomorrow.

What about Grande Dunes, Heritage, King’s North at Myrtle Beach National, the Moorland Course at Legends Resort or Tidewater. They’re all good, and there’s a lot more that I haven’t played. (Just give me time).

One misconception about Myrtle Beach to be noted: there’s plenty of other things to do besides golf. It doesn’t have to be all golf, by any means.

The thirteenth hole may be the most memorable par-3 at TPC Myrtle Beach.

Brookgreen Gardens, for instance, is a beautiful and most interesting place with its stunning sculptures. You could be entertained a whole day there.

Then there’s there beautiful beaches, all varieties of lodging, lots of children’s activities (which include elaborate miniature golf attractions), a minor league baseball team and tons of memorable restaurants. Ours included Sea Captain’s House, Wicked Tuna and Old Vienna Café. The first two offer ocean-front views.

The nearby Hammock Coast area, which includes the communities of Murrell’s Inlet, Pawley’s Island, Litchfield Beach, Garden City, Georgetown and Andrews, offers more diversions in the way of history, shopping, antiques, art galleries, water sports, dining and nature activities.

Though you don’t have to play golf every day to enjoy Myrtle Beach – hitting the links would never be a bad option.

The next big event golf-wise at Myrtle Beach will be the Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am at the Dye Course at Barefoot. A huge annual party, it’ll be played on April 11.

A much bigger deal comes up in August with the 33rd playing of the World Amateur About 35 courses will be used for the week-long event, to be played Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, and tournament coordinator Scott Tomasello expects about 3,500 players to participate. The only state that didn’t have a player in last year’s World Am was Idaho, and the entries included golfers from about 25 foreign countries as well. Early registration for that event starts on March 29.

No. 5 at TPC Myrtle Beach is a beautiful 158-yard par-3.

Hilton Head has the best clubhouse on the PGA Tour — and much more

Few PGA Tour events are blessed with clubhouses as spectacular as this one at Harbour Town.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, South Carolina – It’s inevitable, I suppose.

Major improvement projects that impact a PGA Tour event will get more attention than ones that don’t. That’s why you can’t downplay all that’s been done at Harbour Town Golf Links. This home base for the RBC Heritage Classic, coming up on April 14-17 – the week after the Masters – has been in a state of flux for a while.

The original clubhouse for that course, built in 1969 – the same year the Heritage was played for the first time — was demolished after the 2014 Heritage Classic and its replacement was somehow ready in time for last year’s tournament.

How a $25 million facility can be constructed in less than a calendar year amazes me. The new version is spectacular. It has 4,000 square feet of lockerroom space, a 1,900-square foot pro shop and a 2,200 square foot banquet and events space on the top floor. Inside, on two floors, are paintings covering the Wall of Champions.

The entire project, measured at 55,000 square feet, isn’t just big. It’s awesome, and no other PGA Tour event is blessed with a home clubhouse this good.

When the PGA Tour stars return for the 2016 Heritage they’ll find a new golf course. The Harbour Town Golf Links was closed after Jim Furyk’s victory in 2015. The course was re-grassed and a new irrigation system installed. The course was re-opened for play last fall and now the PGA Tour players will weigh in on the course updating. Chances are good they’ll love it, as Harbour Town has long been one of their favorite stops.

The Jim Furyk painting is the newest addition to Harbour Town’s Wall of Champions.
Falling right after the pressure-packed Masters, the Heritage offers a more relaxed atmosphere – one that is ideal for family time while still providing a title well worth winning.

Over the long haul Hilton Head isn’t just about one big week of tournament golf. It’s a vacation spot so good that the International Association of Golf Tourism Operators named Hilton Head Island as its North American Golf Destination of the Year for 2016 and Golf Digest has listed Hilton Head as one of America’s Top 10 for Buddy Trips, for Best Courses, Value, Lodging, Weather, Couples Trips and Food and Drink Locations.

What might get lost in the over-the-top work done at the tournament venue is that significant improvements have also been taking place at Hilton Head’s other golf facilities. In fact, no other golf destination has spent so much in a very short period of time.

Golf Etc. was setting up operations during our visit to the Robert Trent Jones Oceanfront Course at Palmetto Dunes.

To be clear, there’s much more than golf going on at Hilton Head. Our latest visit showed there were lots of happy, healthy people. They were enjoying hiking, cycling and strolling along a beautiful beach. But golf is the big thing.

During the last three years over $250 million has been invested in new construction and renovations by the area’s course owners. That’s why there’s so many good golf options in the Hilton Head area.

Counting the nearby towns of Bluffton and Beaufort, there are 28 courses available – and they’re all good.

Pete Dye, who designed Harbour Town, also was the architect for nearby Heron’s Point. It was South Carolina’s Golf Course of the Year in 2015. The Plantation Golf Club Clubhouse, which serves the Heron’s Point and Ocean Course players, was the Golf Inc.’s 2015 Clubhouse of the Year.

Other designers whose creations adorn the Hilton Head community include Arthur Hills and George Fazio, who have courses in their names at the Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort; Bob Cupp, the architect for Palmetto Hall; Rees Jones (Oyster Reef and Country Club of Hilton Head), Jack Nicklaus (Golden Bear and Indigo Run), Gary Player and Bobby Weed (Hilton Head National), Davis Love III (Eagle’s Point) and Arnold Palmer (Crescent Point). Those places are making things happen, too.

Palmetto Dunes’ Arthur Hills Course is the first course we’ve visit that offered the Golf Bike to its players.
Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, for instance, designated its delightful Arthur Hills Course as the first on the island to offer Golf Bikes. They’re among the newest things for on-course transportation and three are available for rental at the Hills layout. Our tester used one for nine holes and got a great workout. While ride the bike didn’t help her golf game on that day, it was still a fun experience.

Another of the three Palmetto courses, the Robert Trent Jones Ocean Course, has added Golf Etc. – an elaborate club-fitting, building and repair facility. Club fittings are done in an outdoor setting that permits full ball flight. And more than 20,000 total club and shaft combinations are possible with the products of Titleist, Cobra, Callaway, TaylorMade, Nike, Ping, Mizuno, Edel, Fujikura, Matrex, Aerotec Steelfiber, Nippon, KBS, TrueTemper, Accra, Paderson and others available.

Harbour Town may be the celebrated course in Hilton Head but it doesn’t get all the attention. In fact, this year it’s a clearcut No. 2 behind Ocean Course. That layout, the first 18-holer built at Hilton Head in 1962, is closed to allow for a major renovation supervised by the Davis Love III design group. Love, again the U.S. Ryder Cup champion, won the Heritage five times and is just the man to take another course in the area to a new, higher level.

When he’s done with the Ocean Course the Hilton Head golfers will have still another good option – as if they really needed one!

Harbour Town’s renovated course is being prepared to host its first RBC Heritage Classic.

Ocean influence makes golf on Amelia Island something special

Few ocean holes are as scenic as No. 15 — a par-3 at Amelia Island’s Ocean Links.

AMELIA ISLAND, Florida – Located in the northeastern most corner of Florida, Amelia Island isn’t the easiest place to find and it isn’t all that big, either – just 18 square miles.

When it comes to golf, however, Amelia Island is clearly in the big time. It has 117 holes, seven of which play along the Atlantic Ocean, but the heart of the golf community here is at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort. It contains 54 of those holes.

If you’re a golfer who craves ocean views, this is a good place to visit. We’ve visited several courses with ocean in their names on both the east and west coasts of the United States, and with most it’s only a token reference. Not so with Ocean Links, one of the three 18-holers at Omni Amelia Island Plantation. It has five holes on the water. Four run parallel to the Atlantic shoreline and No. 15, a par-3, has a spectacular backdrop of the ocean from behind the green.

Omni took over ownership of the Amelia Island Plantation Resort in 2011 and made some costly improvements. They included sprucing up of some of the best-established courses in the area. All the greens were redone and new irrigation systems were installed on 27 of the holes

Amelia Island Plantation has been the centerpiece for golfers since Omni took over resort ownership.

The resort opened in 1974 with 27 holes, all designed by legendary architect Pete Dye. One of his protégés, Bobby Weed, got involved two decades later when 18 of the original holes were designated for the Oak Marsh course.

Weed tweaked the other nine and designed a fourth nine, and those 18 holes became the Ocean Links course with Weed the architect of record. The third course, designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 1987, is Long Point. It’s the members course but resort guests can also gain access to it. All three courses were used when The Golf Channel staged Big Break Florida with 12 female contestants in the fall of 2013. (The show aired the following spring).

Dye returned to give Oak Marsh an updating after it passed the 30-year mark and it’s been included in Golf Digest’s Top 75 Resort Courses in the U.S. and Travel & Leisure Golf’s listing of Florida’s 50 Finest Courses.

Not one to dwell on the magazine rankings, I was most intrigued by Ocean Links. In addition to the array of ocean holes, it has an unusual composition – six par-3s, eight par-4s and four par-5s. Its length – only 6,108 yards from the tips – is deceiving. Ocean Links has its tight spots and elevated greens and doesn’t play like your typical short course.

Oak Marsh isn’t on the ocean, but the Pete Dye design has its testy holes — like the par-3 seventh.

The holes meander along the ocean, through lagoons and wetlands and into some of the residential neighborhoods. While walking is no problem at Oak Marsh, it wouldn’t work at Ocean Links because there’s too much distance between the greens and tees in many places.

Still, the course has a couple of interesting tidbits in its history. Golf for Women magazine has named it one of the 50 Best Courses for Women and one of the holes-in-one produced there came from a helpful contact – Golf Channel personality Matt Ginella. He made his first career ace on the 15th.

Weed’s role with the course extends beyond being a Dye protégé. He also spent time as its superintendent in addition to his design work. That also includes the creation of Slammer & Squire at World Golf Village in nearby St. Augustine. Weed has also been involved in the creation of four of the Tournament Players Club layouts.

Golf at Amelia isn’t all at the Omni resort. The Fernandina Beach Golf Club has 27 holes and is one of the country’s most popular municipal courses and at least two others on the island – Amelia River and Golf Club of Amelia Island – also merit mention.

No. 5, a par-3, starts a run of holes along the Atlantic at Ocean Links.

Amelia Island isn’t all about golf, either. In fact, it’s a most interesting place from an historical perspective – though of not quite the magnitude of St. Augustine, long billed as America’s Oldest City. Amelia is almost as old, dating back to 1562 when Frenchman Jean Ribault raised the first flag there. Amelia Island is the only place in America where eight different flags have flown – those of France, Spain, Great Britain, the Patriots of Amelia Island, the Green Cross Flag, Mexico, the National Flag of the Confederacy and, of course, the banner of the U.S.

The U.S. flag went up in 1821 and that prompted a building boom that included two elegant hotels. They in turn led to such prominent families as the Vanderbilts, DuPonts and Carnegies being among the visitors. In later years the modern shrimping industry was founded on Amelia Island.

For now, though, Amelia Island draws visitors because of its 50-block area of downtown Fernandina Beach, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places; its delightful weather and beautiful beaches. And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that the golf is so good here as well.

Course views are fine, but here’s what it looks like from the upper floors of the Omni hotel.

Housing boom could bolster World Golf Hall of Fame

A sign of the times: housing units are being built around both of the World Golf Village courses.


ST. AUGUSTINE, Florida – The World Golf Hall of Fame should be a regular stop for serious golfers. For me it’s been an annual one the last five years.

This time there were some notable changes since the winter of 2015. The menu at the delightful Caddie Shack restaurant changed three times (and is about to be changed again) in between my last two visits. The new hot entrée is the fried potato golf balls appetizer. They’re terrific.

The Hall of Fame museum continues to be freshened up, though it was surprising that no mention was made of golf’s return to the Olympic Games, which is just a few months away. The Bob Hope “Shanks for the Memories exhibit – a popular fixture since the Hall opened in America’s Oldest City in 1998 – is still going strong and that won’t change. A few months ago the late comedian’s family sent over three truckloads of more memorabilia. It’s not on display yet, but obviously a few new looks to the mainstay exhibit is in the offing.

Champions of the 2015 major tourneys are already included in the Hall of Fame.

Newest feature in the Hall is the Major Memories exhibit, which features an interactive replica of the Masters scoreboard. The 2015 winners of the four majors – Jordan Spieth (Masters and U.S. Open), Zach Johnson (British Open) and Jason Day (PGA Championship) get their recognition and the latest Hall of Fame inductees – Laura Davies, David Graham, Mark O’Meara and architect A.W. Tillinghast – have their floor space, too.

That foursome, in a departure from tradition, was inducted at St. Andrews instead of in St. Augustine but the next induction ceremony will be staged back in Florida in 2017.

All that is well and good, but most important thing the Hall has going now is in the housing market. There are 200 units under construction within the World Golf Village boundaries and three major housing communities are being created on the Village outskirts. There hasn’t been this much construction going on in the immediate area in at least five years.

The World Golf Hall of Fame stands tall in a majestic setting.

Jim Hahn, in his fourth year as general manager of the Village’s Slammer & Squire and King & The Bear courses, sees the building boom as a trigger point for more good things. He admits that golf memberships and rounds played haven’t shown much improvement yet and the retail shops have basically been converted to office space. All that, though, could change as the homes now under construction are sold and their owners move in.

There’s already been talk of a significant competition – the Web.com Tour Championship — being played on the Village courses. That’s not a done deal yet, but at least it’s under consideration.

This regular visitor felt the World Golf Hall of Fame never looked better. It’s always been a pleasant place to visit, whether you’re a serious golfer or one who has had little exposure to the game. There seems to be something for everyone there, and more will likely discover that in the next few months. March is always the busiest month at World Golf Village and May will be big, too, with the PGA Tour’s Players Championship coming to nearby TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, FL.

Laura Davies and David Graham were part of the latest class of Hall of Fame inductees.

IT ZIEHMS TO ME: Kingsmill’s “packages” take politics into account

Golf is tough at the DubsDread course in Orlando, FL., even before you tee off. The practice range has a forced carry from all the hitting bays.

Our road trip ventures resume next week, with five weeks worth of stops at golf destinations in Florida, the Carolinas and Virginia. Before our on-site reports resume, however, here’s an array of things going on at golf facilities around the country.

THE KINGSMILL Resort, in Williamsburg, Va., unveiled its own “Best Golf Package Ever,’’ and it seems a good one. For $139 you get a round of golf, AAA Four Diamond accommodations and a breakfast overlooking the James River.

In making that announcement, though, the resort had some tongue-in-cheek fun, admitting that today’s politicians might have other ideas on what golf packages should be. With Primary Season in full swing, here’s what they think some of the Presidential contenders might be thinking.

The Bernie Sanders Package might allow for everyone to play for free. “But,’’ surmised the Kingsmill staffers, “there would be a tax of $139 per person so that others can play for free.’’

The Donald Trump Package “could be so amazing that you’ll want to pay an extra $139 to make your game great again.’’ But, said the staffers, ““just don’t ask for any details on the package.’’

Hillary Clinton’s “package’’ has the resort keeping the golfers’ scores on a computer service in the pro shop bathroom. Then, “if you don’t like your final score it can just be wiped clean.’’

And finally there’s the Marco Rubio “package.’’ In that one you can play with anyone under 46 years old for free. “Ideal for people travelling with kids,’’ is the lure behind that one.

Location-wise, Kingsmill has a long history with political conflict. The land on which it resides was also where skirmishes in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars were fought.

Veteran Chicago teaching pro Chuck Lynch unveiled his new invention — the Swing Trac — at the Chicago Golf Show. Lynch teaches at White Pines in Bensenville. (Photo by Rory Spears)

KOCH JOINS LEGENDS: Carin Koch, twice a winner of the LPGA Tour and once a champion on the Ladies European Tour, will make her debut on the LPGA’s Legends Tour in that circuit’s 2016 opener, the March 4-6 Walgreens Charity Classic at the Grandview course in Sun City, Ariz.

The 36-hole tourney will have a $250,000 purse for the 50 players in the 45-and-over division and a separate purse will be available in the Honours Division, for players 63 and over.

The Legends also have a big event the week after the Masters. Thirty of the Legends players will hook up with 139 from the LPGA’s Symetra Tour and another 12 from the women’s circuit in Taiwan in the second Chico’s Patty Berg Memorial at Cypress Lake in Ft. Myers, FL., from April 11-17. The Symetra players will compete for $200,000 and the Legends for $150,000.

Here’s another new mode of on-course transportation — a Golf Bike, on display at the PGA Merchandise Show.

ANOTHER BIGGIE AT MYRTLE BEACH: Myrtle Beach will conduct its March Championship on March 6-8. The 54-hole individual low net competition has drawn players from 24 states, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada. Six courses will be used for the competition — Farmstead, Hackler, Long Bay, Panther’s Run, Shaftesbury and Wing Wing Avocet.

Two of the most popular courses at South Carolina destination – Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and True Blue – are featured in a Spring Break Getaway offering. Lodging is at True Blue, and that course will also become the first Myrtle Beach course to offer Goalboards. Operating like snowboards or skateboards, they’re the newest thing in course transportation.

Two packages are being offered – a three-night four-round version for $729 per person and a five-night, six-round version for $949.

Caledonia and True Blue are also part of an Honors package which offers a five-night stay and seven rounds for $1,195. The other courses in this package are Grande Dunes, Tidewater, Dunes Club and two of the three rated courses at Barefoot Resort (ones designed by Pete Dye, Tom Fazio and Davis Love III). Lodging is at the Marina Inn.

MASTERS – IN CHICAGO? The First Tee of Greater Chicago will use the first day of the Masters tournament, on April 7, to stage a Golf Fashion Show at Old Crow Smokehouse, 149 W. Kinzie River North.

The fund-raising event, to run from 6-9 p.m., will feature “Masters-inspired food and drink.’’ Tickets, available through the First Tee’s website, are $85 and VIP Super Tickets are $150.

Need new golf shoes? No problem. Plenty of them — in all styles and colors — were available at the PGA Merchandise Show.

NEW AT SWEETGRASS: Island Resort & Casino, in Harris, Mich., plans to unveil its new Drift Spa this spring. The resort’s Sweetgrass course is a host site on the LPGA’s Symetra Tour.

Creation of the spa is part of an $8 million resort and casino expansion project. Ground has also been broken on a second course that will be much different than Sweetgrass, even though Paul Albanese is the designer of both.

RYDER CUP FEVER? The Ryder Cup matches, last played on American soil at Medinah in 2014, will return at Hazeline, in Chaska, Minn., this fall. They’re scheduled from Sept. 27 to Oct. 2 and Premier Golf is already offering travel packages. They start at $2,895 and include four nights lodging, a season ticket to the matches, daily breakfasts and round-trip transportation to and from the course as well as a VIP chalet option off the No. 16 hole.

SEQUEL AT CONCESSION: Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin will be honorary captains of the U.S. and Great Britain-Ireland teams in the second playing of the Concession Cup from April 19-23 in Bradenton, FL. Concession, the host club, is a Nicklaus design and the honorary chairman of the event is a Concession member – former U.S. Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger.

The Ryder Cup-style event features 18-player teams. Eight on each squad are Mid-Amateurs (ages 25-54), eight are seniors 55 and over and two are seniors 65 and over. The U.S. won the first playing of the event 21 1/2-14 ½ in 2014.