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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Diversey Driving Range is a Chicago landmark, no doubt about that. There are bigger ranges around the country. Some also might be considered more beautiful, or more elaborate, but few – if any – have as much history or are as popular as this facility that has withstood the tests of time.

Diversey was built between 1911 and 1913 as a six-hole golf course most notable for having tin can cups. It was eventually expanded to nine holes and Illinois governor Edward Dunne presided over the official dedication ceremonies on Sept. 9, 1916.

The many golf enthusiasts in the Lincoln Park area supported the course, even with many others going up around the city and suburbs. One of the best, a nine-holer first called Waveland and then renamed Marovitz in honor of a local political figure, opened just a half-mile away in 1932.

Diversey’s layout, however, took a beating during World War II, and by the late 1940s most of the land was converted from a golf course to one of the very first stand-alone practice ranges in the United States. Never has its popularity waned.

Chris Otis, who has given golf lessons at Diversey for 32 years, knows why.

“Location. Location. Location,’’ said Otis. “Where else are you going to go? Diversey has no competition whatsoever, and never will. Plus, it’s one of the best places in the city to come and watch people.’’

Diversity, surrounded by high-rises, adjoins busy Lake Shore Drive and the boats of Lake Michigan dock near the entrance. Chicago doesn’t have any locations left to match this one for a golf facility.

The range was self-operated until 1993, then KemperSports – a management firm based in the suburb of Northbrook – took over on a privatization agreement. KemperSports, which has since bolstered its portfolio nationally and even internationally, operated all the Chicago Park District facilities (the range plus four nine-holers and one 18-hole course) through 2008.

Diversey’s capacity was doubled with the creation of a double-deck range while KemperSports was in charge, and lighting was also added to allow for nighttime use. That only increased the demand for practice opportunities, and wear and tear became increasingly obvious in the late Kemper years. The balls would stick in mud after heavy rains, and they continued to accumulate until the Park District installed artificial turf on the range in 2008.

Billy Casper Golf took over management of the range and Park District courses on Jan. 1, 2009. Two years ago two synthetic putting greens were added to the Diversey facility, supplementing a nearby miniature course that was already thriving.

Jered Wieland, Billy Casper Golf’s general manager for all the Chicago Park District facilities, knew he had a good thing going at Diversey.

“It’s been an incredible draw forever,’’ said Wieland. “It’s got a prime location, and there aren’t many locations inside the city for people to practice golf. It’s a real popular attraction.’’

“We go through over 10 million balls in a season,’’ said Otis, “and there’s always 60,000 on reserve. On weekend people stand three-deep to get in, and on Saturdays and Sundays when the weather is nice people will wait in line from 9 a.m. all day long. Our people behind the desk work like a bartender on St. Patrick’s Day. They never stop doing transactions.’’

There’s no grass hitting areas, but Diversey apparently doesn’t need them. All the hitting is done off mats and there are players who can drive beyond the friendly confines of the range. It takes quite a poke, though. Wieland said the back fence, about 30 feet high, is about 300 yards from the hitting bays.

That’s enough for most players, and all types have taken advantage of the facilities. They have included celebrity types like Michael Jordan, Mike Ditka and Jonathan Toews — captain of the Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks who hit balls almost daily when his team was making its playoff run.

Diversey remains open year-around. Only the lower deck is used in the winter, when it’s partially enclosed and heat lamps are installed. During the non-winter months the facility opens before sunrise and closes after sunset seven days a week. Some people like to hit balls at 7 a.m., before they go to work. Others beat balls until closing at about 11 p.m.

Bunkers at 50, 100, 150 and 175 yards provide yardage guidelines for golfers who pay $10 for a small bucket (50 balls) or $16 for a large one (100 balls). Discount cards are available for regulars, seniors and juniors. Otis is among six instructors from the Chicagoland Golf Academy to cover teaching needs and First Tee of Chicago operates on the premises.

For those teaching pros, organized by director of instruction John McCartin, the setup is ideal.

“People just flock here,’’ said Otis. “You can make your own hours, work as much as you want and you can actually get to know people as friends. You have a captive audience, and that makes it a lot more easy for people to learn.’’

Big-time women’s golf has come to Chicago only sporadically over the years. Now that’s about to change.

Next year the UL International Crown comes to Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove. In 2017 the new KPMG Women’s PGA Championship will be played at Olympia Fields, and then in 2018 that same big championship will come to Kemper Lakes in Kildeer, marking that club’s return as a world-class tournament venue.

All three events merit international attention, and the sudden recognition of Chicago as a gathering point for the world’s best women players won’t likely stop there. The LPGA’s satellite Symetra Tour, for instance, has already extended overtures to Mistwood, in Romeoville, about hosting one of its tournaments.

The Mistwood hierarchy, however, already puts on a significant more regional women’s event – the Illinois Women’s Open, which will be played for the 22nd time in 2016 – so the decision to add another big event or alter the popular IWO will require considerable deliberation.

There’s no deliberating about the significance of the three events coming our way in the next three years, however. They’re all on par with Chicago’s biggest women’s tournaments of the distant past.

The Women’s Western Open was major amateur event beginning in 1930, before the LPGA’s creation in 1950, and it continued as an LPGA major until it was discontinued after the 1967 playing. In was contested in the Chicago area 14 times.

Since then the big women’s individual championships in these parts were the U.S. Women’s Opens of 1974 (won by Sandra Haynie), 1981 (won by Pat Bradley) and 2000 (won by Karrie Webb). The first two were played at LaGrange Country Club, while Webb’s win came at Merit Club, in Libertyville.

The return to the women’s big-time events comes with a team competition. The International Crown is pretty much the brainchild of Rich Harvest owner Jerry Rich, long a supporter of the women’s game. He welcomed the Solheim Cup in 2009, and Rich Harvest produced one of the best-received competitions ever between the U.S. and Europe.

The success of that event encouraged Rich to venture into unchartered territory. He approached Mike Whan, commissioner of the LPGA Tour, about creating a new team competition that would also involve the circuit’s abundantly talented Asian players. Whan saw the same need for such an event as Rich did, and the first International Crown was played at Cave’s Valley in Maryland in 2014.

Next year’s July 19-24 event at Rich Harvest will be bigger, better – and could be much different because Spain, winner of the first Crown, isn’t qualified for the second yet.

The top eight countries on the Rolex World Ranking on April 4 will be in the next International Crown. Spain is currently ranked ninth, behind – in order – Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia, Sweden, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and England. Each country will have four players on its team, but the players won’t be finalized until the individual world rankings are announced on June 13.

Though the teams and players won’t be determined until the spring, weekly tickets are already on sale and volunteer registration is open, both by visiting www.ULCROWN.com.

As if that event isn’t big enough, the newest – and most exciting – major championship for women will follow the International Crown to town on successive years. That became a reality with a stunning August announcement by the PGA of America the day before the PGA Championship was played at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

Usually the PGA of America and LPGA, as well as the PGA Tour and U.S. Golf Assn. announce their tournament sites at least five years in advance and Chicago had been largely out of the mix in recent years.

All that changed when the PGA of America announced that its newest event, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, will be held at Olympia Fields in 2017 and Kemper Lakes, in Hawthorn Woods, in 2018. Olympia Fields and Kemper Lakes are roughly 60 miles apart.

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is part of a new partnership between the PGA of America and LPGA. It was held for the first time this year at Westchester Country Club in New York and it’ll be played at Sahalee, in Washington, in 2016.

Inbee Park has won the event the last three years. It had long been known as the LPGA Championship since its first staging in 1955. Usually events of such prominence are either held annually at the same site or are moved around the country. Playing back-to-back at different courses in the same geographical area is highly unusual.

“I know that those two clubs will do an incredible job hosting the major championship for the women,’’ said Kerry Haigh, chief championships officer for the PGA of America. “This will be a special moment in time for the LPGA and women’s golf in the Chicago area.’’

“There could be some great efficiencies in going to Chicago in back to back years,’’ offered Pete Bevacqua, chief executive officer of the PGA of America. “The clubs obviously have a great relationship working together to make sure that we deliver a wonderful experience in 2017, and that same group of people, plus more, can come out and experience it again in 2018. We can use that really to the advantage of the championship.’’

The women will also be playing on courses that have already hosted men’s professional majors. Olympia Fields most recently hosted the men’s U.S. Open in 2003 and Kemper Lakes hosted the PGA Championship in 1989. Both are private clubs, but Kemper was a public venue when the late Payne Stewart won the PGA there.

Olympia also hosted this year’s U.S. Amateur but has hosted just one big women’s event – the 1933 Women’s Western Open, won by Chicago amateur June Beebe. Olympia has a more recent connection with the women’s game, however, since LPGA Hall of Famer Carol Mann honed her skills while growing up at the club.

The biggest women’s event played at Kemper Lakes came in its public phase. The 92nd U.S. Women’s Amateur was played there in 1992 and future Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam was the runner-up to Vicki Goetze in that one. Prior to turning private Kemper was a busy tournament site, hosting events on the Champions Tour and the Grand Slam of Golf as well as being the site of the Illinois PGA Championship for 24 straight years. As a private club Kemper’s lone tournament venture came in hosting the IPGA Match Play Championship each spring.

PGA Tour players see a lot of golf courses and, somewhat amazingly, they remember – at least in general terms – what most of them look like.

That wasn’t quite the case when the top 70 players in the FedEx Cup Playoffs gathered at Conway Farms in Lake Forest in September for the BMW Championship. Conway Farms was the site of the tournament just two years before, but even a star the magnitude of Rory McIlroy had to admit “it’s much different than how I remembered it.’’

Conway’s membership closed the course in mid-April of 2014 and closed its practice range three months later. Both re-opened in late May of this year, and the BMW Championship was somewhat of a coming-out party for the club to show what had been done since it had last been opened to the public in 2013.

There was some work done on the course, and the pro shop and caddie house also were upgraded. What made the place look so much different, though, was what was done on the practice facilities. Players noticed it right away and spectators who had attended in 2013 were stunned immediately upon entering the gates.

“It’s a beautiful place,’’ said Jordan Spieth. “We like coming here. It’s top-notch.’’

Phil Mickelson called the setup “wonderful.’’ Zac Blair, one of the youngest qualifiers for the tournament, was even more descriptive.

“It has the best short-game place I’ve ever seen,’’ said Blair. “No wonder Luke Donald is the best short game player in the world.’’

Donald, who didn’t qualify for this year’s BMW Championship, is a former world No. 1 as well as a Conway member. He gave considerable input to director of golf Jeff Mory and architect Dennis Wise during the building process.

“Luke had a lot to do with it,’’ said Mory. “He was super-interested in the driving range but intimately interested in what the short game area should be.’’

“Luke has a very keen eye,’’ added Wise, who was the on-course architect for designer Tom Fazio when the private facility was built in time for a 1991 opening. “He’s a tremendous artist. He can see it in the dirt. He had some great impact.’’

Conway, which will also host the BMW Championship in 2017, was in need of some upgrades after the 2013 tournament. The course was re-grassed and cart paths were expanded on the walking-only course just to facilitate spectator traffic during the tournament. Spectator viewing was also improved, and Wise added new tees on nine holes, tweaked some bunkers and made some strategic changes to the short par-4 15th hole.

More eye-catching, though, was what he did to the practice facilities. The practice tee was enlarged by almost 50 percent, from 40,000 square feet to 75,000. That enlargement necessitated the building of a new putting green, one that was also notably bigger than the old one.

“We wanted one with enough size for an event like (the BMW Championship),’’ said Mory. “We went from 6,500 square feet to one that’s over 10,000. Now we have a very large putting green.’’

The larger range also necessitated the building of a new short game area. It was also enlarged by a lot, to include two bent practice greens that total 15,000 square feet plus another half acre of practice area space.

Mory said that disclosing cost figures “wasn’t appropriate’’ but admitted the project was “expensive’’ and that the practice range work was “the most substantial cost we incurred’’ on projects directly involving golfers.

Also benefitting was the Western Golf Assn., which stages the BMW Championship as a fundraiser for its Evans Scholars Foundation. The organization now has a more attractive venue for the biggest of the four tournaments it conducts annually.

“The driving range was expansive, and it allowed for a whole new entry process,’’ said Mory. “For people coming in for the tournament, they would have this mind-blowing experience.’’

Mory stressed, though, that the expanded practice facility wasn’t created to please the touring pros.

“Not at all,’’ he said. “Certainly having events (like the BMW Championship) is now part of our culture and we want to make all decisions for all the things that we are. But our primary goal was for Joe Club Member.’’

Conway has some serious players in its membership. At any one time it’ll have between 150 and 175 with single digit handicap indexes — one of the very highest percentage of members in the sprawling Chicago District Golf Assn.

“These guys and gals are passionate, and we have others who want to get better,’’ said Mory. “While the project was expensive, it was valuable for the day-to-day enjoyment for what our members are. So many clubs in Chicago don’t have the land or the opportunity to do what we did. This was a reinvestment in things that are great for our club.’’

Again, the money wasn’t spent to make things better for an occasional big tournament. Conway had its share of those even before it landed the BMW Championship. Its 209 acres was the site of a flood of major amateur competitions from 1998 through 2012, the biggest being the 1997 men’s NCAA Division I Championship, the 2009 Western Amateur and the 2012 U.S. Mid-Amateur. Getting a PGA Tour event, though, required more from the club than those events did.

“We didn’t expand the range just so Dustin Johnson could hit drivers,’’ said Mory. “We’ll start a week at 325 yards to our 10-foot high fence at the back of our range, but we can go back to 340 or 350. Most courses that don’t host tour events don’t have that kind of space. For our members now we can move the practice area around and they’ll always have good grass to hit off of.’’

Wise, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., worked for the late Larry Packard in the Chicago area from 1979 to1985 before joining Fazio. He started his own business, Dennis Wise Golf Course Design, in 2012.

In his just-completed project he had to accommodate the needs of members, tour players and the Conway teaching staff – one that features Mory and included the renowned Dr. Jim Suttie during the last summer months – and still develop a facility that was aesthetically pleasing. He apparently succeeded on all counts.

“It looks like the rest of the place. It doesn’t feel like an add-on. It looks like it should be here. It feels right,’’ said Mory.

“I’m a teacher,’’ he said, “so from our standpoint this is an amazing laboratory, an incredible place to teach, practice and work.’’

“In those three acres we didn’t leave anything on the table, and the players echoed that,’’ said Wise, after spending a week around the club while the PGA Tour stars were in town. “The tour players loved it, and the members absolutely loved it.’’

Theirs is a success story unlike most others in the world of golf.

For starters, the Aurora-based Nadler clan has the longevity factor going. Nadler Golf Cars has been in business over 50 years and is still going strong. Through it all, it’s remained a family business that is now a third-generation operation servicing nearly half of the roughly 400 courses in the Chicago area.

The company leases about 6,00 golf cars and provides the maintenance on them summer and winter. And, just as important, the company gives back to the game. That was underscored this year when Nadler Golf Cars was declared the longest running continuing sponsorship for the Illinois PGA’s Pro Presidents outing, which is approaching its 40th year.

Nadler Golf Cars also has been the title sponsor of the Illinois PGA Championship for over 10 years and recently signed up for another three-year extension. The sponsorship run is also in the 40-year vicinity with the Midwest Golf Course Superintendents Assn. and the First Tee of Aurora’s headquarters is named the Nadler Golf House of Learning.

“We want to be visible to all our customers in the area,’’ said Eric Nadler, the company president since 2013 when he replaced his father, Dave. “It’s very important to our family to give back to those guys. Without them we wouldn’t have our business.’’

The Nadlers’ story, though, goes way beyond the giving back policy. It’s one well worth telling just from the historical perspective. In 1963 Bill and Bea Nadler – parents to Dave and grandparents to Eric — were operating a Harley-Davidson motorcycle shop in Elgin. They entered the golf industry when Harley-Davidson came out with one of the first golf cars.

“We’re very fortunate for the vision my grandfather had, both for our family and for golf in Chicago,’’ said Eric. “He put golf cars in as a sideline, and my grandmother said he was crazy. She had a lot of reservations. She believed people walked in golf.’’

Most did, of course, but Bill Nadler was able to lease four or five cars to the Fox Valley Golf Club, which is now owned by the city of Aurora, and he started pounding on the doors of other courses. When the motorcycle industry started experiencing tough economic times Nadler opted to focus strictly on golf cars.

“Some thought he was crazy again,’’ Eric admitted.

But he wasn’t, as it turned out.

Dave Nadler entered the business when he was 11, basically on the maintenance end, to support his father and the then one other employee the company had. Times were as tough for golf cars as they were for motorcycles then.

“When (Bill Nadler) got his first demo he decided to stop by a golf course, and he went to Bonnie Dundee (the longstanding public course in Algonquin),’’ said Dave. “The owner told him `everybody at my course walks.’’’

That was that, for a few months, but before the year was out Bill Nadler was called back to that club because the owner had a change of heart. Others course operators were also willing to try the power cars, and a thriving business was born.

“He was in the right place at the right time,’’ Dave said of his father. Dave became a full-time employee after finishing college in 1974 and joined forces with his brother Keith and sister Karen (now Karen Baumgartner) to buy out their father in 1981.

They were the officers when Eric, Dave’s son, and Matt Baumgartner, Karen’s offspring, got involved.

“I started as an 8-year old washing golf cars,’’ said Eric. “I found out early on about manual labor. I found out what the real world was all about.’’

He later spent summers working in the parts and service departments during his high school years.

“In high school my father and uncle were harder on me than the rest of the employees, and before I was to go to college my dad sat me down and gave me an opportunity (to work towards taking over the company),’’ said Eric. “I didn’t want to do it.’’

In stepped grandfather Bill again. They had a talk on a vacation in Wisconsin, and Eric changed his mind. He worked for the company for 17 years before he and Matt took over ownership of Nadler Golf Cars on Jan. 1, 2013. The company has tripled in size over the last 10 years.

Keith Nadler retired from the company in 1997 and Dave in 2013. Bill Nadler passed away on March 7, 2013, at the age of 94. Karen Baumgartner remains active, and the operation has grown to 18 full-time employees – some of whom were hired over 40 years ago by grandfather Bill. Another four are generally brought in to help with seasonal projects.

The Illinois PGA has long benefitted from its connection with three generations of Nadlers. Michael Miller, who left the IPGA this year after 23 years serving as tournament director and then executive director, said the section “wouldn’t be where we are without the Nadler family. They have been such a vital part of what the Illinois PGA has done.’’

In addition to the event sponsorships Dave Nadler served on the IPGA Foundation board that launched a $2 million program in the late 1990s that benefits Maryville Academy and the First Tee programs, among others. The Nadlers were among the initial donors.

Carrie Williams, who took over as Miller’s replacement in August after serving as executive director of the Illinois Junior Golf Assn., was well aware of the good things done by the Nadlers from an earlier working stint with the IPGA.

“The support that Nadler Golf and the Nadler family have provided the Illinois Section throughout their decades of sponsorship is unparalleled,’’ she said. “Not only is their financial support of the Section and its PGA professionals integral in continuing to elevate major events like the Section Championship and Pro-President, the unique evolution of our relationship across multiple generations of the Nadler family sets Nadler Golf apart as both the longest-standing Section sponsor – and the most generous.’’

The 115th U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields couldn’t have gone much better.

The weather was great, the champion showed potential for long-term greatness and Fox Sports – new to golf broadcasting – presented Olympia Fields in a very positive light. Dave Allard, the club’s chairman for the event, said U.S. Golf Assn. officials told him that Olympia’s greens were the best for a USGA championship this year – and that’s saying a lot since the organization puts on 20 such tournaments at some of the country’s best courses.

There’s only one problem. The USGA isn’t coming back – at least not for a long while. For the first time in at least four decades not one of the USGA championships is scheduled for the Chicago area. Golf’s ruling body in the U.S. generally schedules at least five years in advance. Its biggest event, the U.S. Open, already has sites determined through 2024.

Tom O’Toole, the USGA president, underwent a screening from select golf media about the scheduling issue and stressed that “Olympia Fields has done a fabulous job.’’

So, why no USGA events coming beyond qualifiers for national tournaments? O’Toole didn’t shed much light on that but said it was nothing personal.

“We’d like to continue our history in Chicago because it’s been a rich one,’’ said O’Toole. “There’s a wonderful plethora of clubs here.’’

Olympia Fields, of course, is just one of them and – rather than belabor the future schedule issue – now it’s more appropriate to celebrate another rich moment in Chicago golf history. Thirteen U.S. Amateur Championships have been played in Chicago or its suburbs and the first one at Olympia Fields had to be one of the best – a bonus for the club, which used the event to highlight its Centennial celebration.

The U.S. Amateur made its first Chicago appearance in 1897 at Chicago Golf Club, the site for the championship four times. It was also played at Onwentsia, in Lake Forest; Glenview Club, Flossmoor, Beverly, North Shore (twice), Knollwood and Cog Hill. The Cog Hill version, won by Matt Kuchar, was the most recent. It was played in 1997.

Olympia Fields hosted the U.S. Senior Open the same year Cog hosted the Amateur – a banner year in Chicago golf history. In landing the Amateur, Olympia was able to spotlight its two recently-renovated courses. It was the last Chicago course to host U.S. Open, in 2003 when Jim Furyk won the title. This U.S. Amateur may have measured up better than that Open did. Olympia’s North Course didn’t prove to be the monster that most Open venues have been.

For the U.S. Amateur, though, it was ideal. The North and South layouts contrasted nicely for the 36 holes of stroke play that started tournament week for 312 qualifiers, and the North offered all kinds of interesting challenges for the 64 match play survivors.

There could be only one winner, of course, and that turned out to be Bryson DeChambeau, a senior at Southern Methodist University from Clovis, Calif. He was clearly the best of the lot. Rain delays, caddie changes, a bad tee shot at a critical moment. Nothing was going to keep DeChambeau from joining some of golf’s most elite company.

In winning at Olympia Fields Country Club DeChambeau joined Jack Nicklaus (1961), Phil Mickelson (1990), Tiger Woods (1996) and Ryan Moore (2004) as the only players to win the NCAA Championship and the U.S. Amateur in the same year.

Both finalists, DeChambeau and Derek Bard, earned berths in next year’s Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, but there were few other similarities in their status after the title match. DeChambeau was just too good. He never played beyond the 16th hole in his first five matches and had even less trouble with Bard in the 36-hole final, winning 7 and 6 with a torrid nine holes immediately after the lunch break. That was one of the widest victory margins since the tourney was inaugurated in 1895.

“I kept putting the pedal to the metal,’’ said DeChambeau. “I wanted to play Bryson golf, and that’s what I did. I just made everything.’’

A physics major at SMU, DeChambeau, 21, opened birdie-birdie to go 2-up quickly, but that lead didn’t last. Bard, a 20-year old junior at the University of Virginia, won four of five holes in one stretch to go 2-up, but DeChambeau took charge for good after chipping in to win No. 8.

The 47-minute rain delay didn’t help, but he battled back to get to all square and then won Nos. 14, 15 and 16 to claim the lead for good. There were some moments of adversity, though.

During the 42-minute lunch break DeChambeau’s regular caddie, Mike Sly, told him that he couldn’t continue on the bag in the afternoon. A case of plantar fasciitis was too painful. No problem. DeChambeau called on a friend who had carried his bag occasionally in the past and only briefly lost momentum.

His first tee shot of the afternoon round sailed left into the woods, and he was lucky to find his ball. Still, no real problem. Bard, who had won No. 18 to conclude the morning round, took advantage of DeChambeau’s rare muff to win that hole, too. Still, DeChambeau wasn’t ruffled.

He went on a tear, stringing one great iron shot after another and backing up those approaches with brilliant putting. He had Bard dormie after winning No. 10 and closed out the match when Bard’s birdie putt lipped out on the 30th hole.

It wasn’t just the dominating result that set DeChambeau apart from the field during the week. It was also his unconventional style. His trademark is a cap like the one Ben Hogan wore. He also spoke proudly of going to the same college as the late, great Payne Stewart, who also wore similar headgear.

DeChambeau’s clubs are also unusual. The shafts are all the same length, that of a standard 6-iron. His style for lining up putts is different, too. He lines them up with his putter in a horizontal position rather than the usual vertical method – like taking aim with a gun. And, his training methods include cursive writing backwards with his left hand (he’s right-handed) because it improves the sensitivity in his hands.

“Obviously he’s a very smart kid,’’ sad Bard. “I was prepared for all that. Whatever works –and this week it worked for him pretty well.’’

Eri Crum arrived at Stanford University in 1994, the same year that Tiger Woods did. They were teammates on the school’s golf team for two years, before Woods started his legendary career as a touring pro.

Crum stayed at Stanford, earning his letter in golf his final two seasons, and now he’s still involved in his sport as a professional. His role is a bit different than Woods’, however. Crum has discovered Speedgolf, and he’ll defend his title in the Speedgolf World Championship at The Glen Club in Glenview on Oct. 19-20.

In Speedgolf you’re judged on both your score and pace around the course.

“It’s an awesome sport, but it needs help to grow,’’ said Crum before giving a demonstration over the last three holes at The Glen. He cruised through No. 16, a par-4, in 1:49 and made par, got through No. 17, a par-3, in 62 seconds and made bogey and then made birdie on No. 18 — a par-5 – while getting from tee to green in 2:08.

Crum was a good college golfer but was involved in other sports, as well. He was captain of the school’s hockey club team and later ran a three-hour Boston Marathon. After school days he became a physical therapist and chiropractor. He got serious about golf again after learning about Speedgolf.

“It’s been a wonderful outlet to get my golf game back,’’ he said. “Efficiency is so important.’’

Players must avoid unnecessary delays to be successful at Speedgolf. One of Crum’s top rivals putts one-handed and doesn’t drop his golf bag. None of the players stop to check yardages. Golf bags are made as light as possible with most using six clubs or less. Standard golf attire is expected in competition, but most wear shorts instead of pants.

There are some rule variations. The pin remains in the cup in Speedgolf and there’s no loss of distance for a lost ball. Players go off alone in roughly six-minute intervals.

“We’re not suggesting it replaces regular golf,’’ said Tim Scott, president of Speedgolf International. “But Speedgolf promotes creativity and fitness. It’s growing.’’

The Speedgolf World Championship has been held at Bandon Dunes, the popular Oregon resort, the last three years. A couple well-known track and field athletes – Nick Willis and Bernard Lagat – were among the competitors that Crum defeated last year. Lagat, from Kenya, was a four-time Olympian at 1,500 meters while Willis, from New Zealand, was the silver medalist at 1,500 meters in the 2008 Olympics.

Speedgolf has a history dating back to the late 1960s and early 1970s and got more widespread recognition when Steve Scott, the American record-holder in the mile, reportedly shot 95 while covering 18 holes in 29 minutes using only a 3-iron.

The world record, according to Scott, was posted by Christopher Smith, a teaching pro from Oregon, while playing in a competition at Chicago’s Jackson Park in 2005. Smith got around Jackson Park in 65 strokes and 44 minutes.

Combining the score and time, Smith’s record is 109. Crum’s winning total last year at Bandon over 18 holes was 121 – a score of 76 in 45 minutes.

The elite division at The Glen will have about 30 competitors, including some from Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, the United Kingdom and Canada. There are Speedgolf organizations in those countries. In addition to the overseer, Speedgolf International, there are U.S. branches in Houston and Southern California. A $40,000 prize fund will be on the line in the elite division at The Glen.

This will be the third year for the World Speedgolf Championship. Chris Walker, a mini-tour pro who played collegiately at Notre Dame, won in 2012 and Rob Hogan, a pro from Ireland, won in 2013 with Crum finishing second.

An amateur division with age group competition will also be offered on the first day of the World Championship at The Glen. Entry fee is $150. For details contact www.speedgolfinternational.com.

What would be your reaction be if a playing partner arrived at the first tee with a full set of golf clubs, but no golf bag?

That’s what happened to me when long-time friend Brett Detterbeck arrived with a backpack – much like the type that high school students use to carry their books. A big difference, though. In it was a full set of clubs, with the shafts separated from the clubheads.

Brett assembled his clubs as we went along, screwing the shafts into the clubheads. I can’t say they helped his play in a Couples Scramble event put on by the staff at Cantigny, in Wheaton, but they looked and felt like golf clubs when you swung them.

One of Brett’s Glen Ellyn neighbors, Pat Brady, brought the clubs to his attention. Brady was one of three founders of an Atlanta-based equipment manufacturer called the DV8 Sports. The company was founded in 2009.
Its website reports that Brady has 13 patents to his name with six more pending. He’s not a golfer, the website is quick to declare. But he is an inventor and an investor who has done well in other fields.

Is the DV8 Sports product good? Is it bad? I can’t say one way or the other, but it is most interesting. Its clubs are certainly easier to transport than the standard bag of clubs. I’m told they can even be carry-ons at airports.

Golf has always stirred the creative juices of golfers and non-golfers alike. I’ve seen some really weird gear at shows and pro shops over the years, some of it even laughable, but these clubs make more sense than many of the other products I’ve seen. Apparently others felt so, too, because other players in the outing were curious enough to take a look. None needed an invitation to take a peek. They just wanted to find out what the product was all about.

This new product led to a discussion with Patrick Lynch, the head professional at Cantigny. He reported being contacted recently by a company that makes bicycles that players can use to transport their clubs around the course during a round. Lynch was curious enough to welcome a closer look. I would be, too.

The Western Golf Association’s premier tournament, the BMW Championship, is still nearly two months away, but the WGA showed off the improvements coming for the third tournament of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs

Tourney site Conway Farms, in Lake Forest, underwent an extensive renovation since hosting the event in 2013 and spectators — 130,000 are expected again – should have an improved experience. Cart paths have been widened throughout the course to improve foot traffic and seating has been improved dramatically for that big week when trophies (to say nothing of big prize money) is on the line.

The size of seating around the 18th green has been doubled and there’s also expanded viewing at Nos. 1, 2, 7, 9, 11 and 17. The Beer Garden, a popular attraction two years ago, will also be doubled in size.

More than anything, though, the work done on the course has opened up vistas for better spectator viewing. Also improving the spectator experience is the establishment of an attendance limit. Vince Pellegrino, the WGA’s senior vice president, tournaments, said attendance will be limited to 27,000 per day. When the tourney was played at Conway two years ago the gallery topped 35,000 on Saturday.

The players will find a major change in the practice facility. It’s been enhanced with a 10,000 square foot putting green, a two-acres practice range and a new short game area. All 18 greens were re-grassed. several new tees were constructed and others re-shaped. New back tees resulted in the lengthening of Nos. 4 and 17.

Strategically, No. 16 – my favorite hole on the course – has two sod-wall bunkers now instead of three and they’ve been moved to the right. This, you’ll remember, was a key hole in 2013 because Jim Furyk made eagle there en route to shooting his record 59.

The tournament dates, Sept. 14-20, are a week later than they were in 2013 with players getting a week off in between the first two playoff events and the last two. The purse has increased slightly, to $8.25 million.

Shuttles from the nearby Metra stations are expected to relieve congestion around the course. The shuttles from the stations to the course are only two minutes. The new general parking area is in Waukegan (Waukegan and Belvidere roads), and shuttles from there will be in the 15-20 minute range.

Pellegrino announced a new event for tournament week. The Evans Scholars Cup will be contested on Monday. It’ll feature teams from 28 clubs and their head professional. Otherwise the schedule is the same as in the past except for the starting times for the first two rounds. Play will begin at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday and Friday and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.