IT ZIEHMS TO ME: WWGA honors two of its long-time leaders

Long before there was a Ladies Professional Golf Assn. there was the Women’s Western Golf Assn. This organization has spearheaded golf for girls and women since 1901.

Susan Wagner has represented the WWGA on the public relations and media side.

This week the WWGA honored two of its longstanding leaders. Susan Wagner and Audrey Peterson were presented with Woman of Distinction Awards at the WWGA’s annual meeting at Sunset Ridge Country Club in Northfield, IL.

Both are extremely deserving of this recognition. Between the two of them they’ve spent over 70 years volunteering their time, energy and talent to both the WWGA and its Foundation, which has awarded academic scholarships for the past 43 years.

Over the years the program has distributed over $3.35 million to 600 scholars from 45 states.

Wagner, formerly of Flossmoor and now living in Florida, has been a WWGA director since 1977, when the Western Amateur tournament was held at her home club. In recent years she has served as the WWGA’s national public relations and media director. She was the organization’s president in 1997-98.

Peterson, a director since 1980, was the WWGA president in 1991-92. She has also worked in a variety of other areas and has chaired the organization’s Amateur, Junior and Senior championships. Her home club is Blackhawk, in Madison, WI.

Audrey Peterson, a frequent competitor in WWGA competitions, was a past president and tournament chairman for the organization.

The Woman of Distinction awards are a big deal for this organization, which doesn’t get the attention it once did when it conducted the Women’s Western Open – for years the biggest event available for women professional players. Its champions included Helen Hicks, Babe Zaharias, Patty Berg, Betsy Rawls, Louise Suggs, Mickey Wright, Carol Mann, Susie Maxwell and Kathy Whitworth.

Chicago golf historian Tim Cronin outlined the WWGA’s rich history in its latest annual meeting, and that spotlight the Women’s Western Open. That event ran from 1930 to 1967 and its revival has been a subject of discussion in Chicago golf circles for years – especially since the WWGA’s more recent merger with the Western Golf Assn.

Past winners of the Woman of Distinction awards were Suggs, Nancy Lopez, Peggy Kirk Bell, Betty James, Wiffi Smith, Mann, Whitworth and Wright on the professional level and Carol Semple Thompson, June Beebe Atwood, Alice Dye, Judy Bell, Ann Upchurch and Co McArthur on the amateur side.

Ownership change

Mike Munro, who created one of the nation’s first indoor golf practice facilities in the country, revealed that he’s sold his White Pines Golf Dome in Bensenville, IL., to KemperSports, the widely-respected Northbrook-based golf management firm.

Munro operated the Dome for 23 years and will still be involved in the operation of the facility – a hotspot for Chicago golfers during the chilly winter months.

Not so good

The first event of the PGA Tour’s 2014-15 season wasn’t a good one for Illinois’ players. Kevin Streelman, D.A. Points and Mark Wilson all missed the cut at the Frys.com Open in California.

Will new PGA Tour member Sainz defend his Chicago Open title?

Sure, there’s plenty of golf to be played in the Chicago area for a few more weeks but the Chicago Open will be it as far as big-time competition goes. It begins with a pro-am on Oct. 3 and the three-day, 54-hole tournament proper tees off on Oct. 5, with everything again going on at Cantigny, in Wheaton.

The Chicago Open has had a checkered past. Marty Schiene, the men’s coach at Chicago State University and a former PGA Tour player, triggered the creation of the present version when he was the Illinois Junior Golf Assn. president in 2013. He envisioned the event as both a fundraiser for the Illinois Junior Golf Assn. and a tuneup for players preparing for the Web.com Tour qualifying school, which offers playing privileges on the PGA Tour’s satellite circuit for the 2014-15 season.

That wasn’t always the scenario for the Chicago Open, a tournament which has a history dating to 1914 – the year the Chicago District Golf Assn. was founded.

The first tournament called the Chicago Open was held at Chicago Golf Club and was won by Bob Gardner, a Hinsdale Golf Club member who beat a field of 18 others – all members of CDGA clubs. At times the Chicago Open was considered a stop on what we know now as the PGA Tour, with its champions including Macdonald Smith (1926), Johnny Farrell (1927), Abe Espinosa (1928), Gene Sarazen (1937), Sam Snead (1938), Ben Hogan (1941, 1942 and 1947), Byron Nelson (1945 and 1946), Bobby Locke (1948) and Ken Venturi (1958 and 1959).

During those years the tourney participants also included such notables as Walter Hagen, Tommy Armour, Johnny Revolta, Billy Casper, Gary Player and even the legendary Bobby Jones.

The names of the champions weren’t so lustrous in the other years, though Luke Donald – still a college boy at Northwestern – was the winner in 2000.

In all there have been 24 tournaments called the Chicago Open, so this year’s version represents the tourney’s 25th anniversary and it’ll be played at Cantigny, which is also celebrating its 25th season. There’s some symmetry there.

The IJGA, formed in 1967, conducts over 100 events annually for golfers between the ages of 8 and 18. The organization revived the tournament last year after an 18-year absence during Schiene’s presidency, and it blossomed into the primary fundraiser for the IJGA. The revival event, also held at Cantigny, offered a $50,000 purse. This year’s Chicago Open will be similar to that one, when players from 18 states and three foreign countries were among the entrants.

Given the change in stature, the last Chicago Open had a fitting champion. Carlos Sainz Jr., from Elgin, was an alumnus of IJGA events. He has hopes of playing on the PGA, and last year’s event helped him progress towards that goal. Sainz, who is scheduled to defend his title, comes in as a much more seasoned player this time.

His game blossomed at the right time in 2013, when he won an event on the Canadian PGA Tour and lost the Illinois Open title in a playoff before winning the Chicago Open. He did it by making five birdies in the first seven holes of the final round en route to posting a 68. That gave him a 6-under-par 210 for the 54 holes and a two-stroke advantage on runner-up Matt Thompson of Marshall, Mich. That provided a springboard to the good things that happened shortly after that.

Sainz went on to earn playing privileges on the Web.com Tour in the aftermath of his Chicago Open victory and, after struggling for most of his rookie season, came on strong at the end earn a place in the Web.com Tour Finals, which offered 25 berths on the PGA Tour for the 2015 season. The Finals concluded on Sept. 21.

In addition to Sainz this year’s early entrants included Mike Small, the University of Illinois men’s coach who won the Illinois PGA Championship for a record 11th time in August, and Australia-born Mark Hensby, who has already scored an Illinois slam of sorts. Hensby won the Illinois State Amateur in 1994, the Illinois Open in 1996 and the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic at downstate Silvis in 2004.

Small tied for eighth in last year’s Chicago Open and will squeeze a tournament appearance in between his coaching duties with the nationally-ranked Illini. The only other Chicago are player in the top 10 last year was Libertyville’s Michael Schachner, who tied for fourth. That’s an indicative of the widespread quality in the field that can be expected again at Cantigny.

The IJGA scheduled five qualifying rounds to supplement the field of invitees and exempted players. First was held at Milwaukee’s Brown Deer course, former site of the PGA Tour’s Greater Milwaukee Open.

Others were at Metamora Fields, the central Illinois course that hosts the Illinois PGA Players Championship, and Village Links of Glen Ellyn, long-time site of Western Open Monday qualifiers. The final two were played at Lake Michigan Hills, in Benton Harbor, Mich., and Makray Memorial, in Barrington.

The pro-am is Friday, Oct. 3. The following day a free junior walking clinic will be conducted amidst afternoon practice rounds. The 54-hole tourney will be conducted over the next three days.

As was the case last year, many of the Chicago Open participants will try to do what Sainz did in 2013 – use the event as a springboard to a good showing at the Web.com Tour Q-School. The first stage of the Q-School begins on Oct.7, the second stage on Nov. 11 and the finals are Dec. 11-16 at Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

At 54 Inkster’s a Legend — but she’ll still have LPGA presence

WEST POINT, MS. – Juli Inkster’s biggest year in a stellar golf career came in 1999 when she won the U.S. Women’s Open, the LPGA Championship and three other tournaments while also qualifying for the Hall of Fame.

There’s nothing wrong with looking back fondly on a year like that 15 years later, and Inkster had no better place to do it than Old Waverly Golf Club. That’s where she won the first of her two U.S. Women’s Opens and the fourth of her seven major championships.

Her win at Old Waverly came by a whopping five-stroke margin, but she hadn’t been back since then until this week. The reason she’s back now is to make her debut on the LPGA Legends Tour. That circuit, for players who have reached their 45th birthday, holds its premier team event, the ISPS Handa Cup, on Saturday and Sunday.

“It’s always great to come back to fond memories,’’ said Inkster from a spot overlooking the 18th green. “When they invited me to play I was ecstatic to come back.’’

She played the course in Friday’s Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi Pro-Am and will be part of the best ball and alternate shot team matches on Saturday in partnership with Meg Mallon and a singles match on Sunday. She hopes to help the U.S. team regain the Handa Cup from the World team – the winner for the first time last year at Hermitage in Nashville, Tenn.

“There’ll be some good golf played, and a lot of laughs,’’ said Inkster. “We’re playing the course shorter (than in 1999) but the routing is still the same. It’s amazing how many holes you remember and how many you don’t remember.’’

Now 54, Inkster is winding down her career on the main LPGA circuit but is hardly in retirement mode despite owning 31 LPGA titles and earning more than $13 million on the circuit.

“I’m the Solheim Cup captain for 2015, so that’s going to keep me busy,’’ she said. “I’m doing a little TV (broadcasting), too, so that’s going to keep me busy. Plus, I’ll probably play 10 (LPGA tournaments). I like to keep at it and watch the girls for the Solheim. I’m in a perfect place in my life right now.’’

Inkster has played in 12 LPGA tournaments this year with one still to go. In between she was a TV reporter during the International Crown – the new global team event that made its debut at Caves Valley in Maryland. It’s the biggest new thing in the sport, for men or women on any tour.

“It went great,’’ said Inkster, “but it needs a little tweaking. Picking three players (for each qualifying team) in March was a little early. Maybe pick two of them in March and then a wild card later. But overall the event was a big success.’’

She’s also hopeful a U.S. Women’s Senior Open is on the horizon. The U.S. Golf Assn. is considering it.

“They should do it. I don’t know why they haven’t,’’ said Inkster. “At least they’re talking, and I hope it comes to fruition.’’

Bradleys — Pat and Keegan — play big parts in U.S. golf hopes

WEST POINT, MS. – One of America’s premier golf families has a dilemma this week. In what is most likely an historical first, the family’s two most prominent golfijng members will be playing in major international team competitions at the same time.

While Keegan Bradley will be trying to help the U.S. team regain the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in Scotland his aunt, World Golf Hall of Famer Pat Bradley, will be trying to help the U.S. regain the ISPS Handa Cup at Old Waverly.

“It’s very exciting,’’ said Pat Bradley who – like Keegan – was on the losing side the last time the team competitions were held. “I’m trying to figure out how he’s going to find time to watch his aunt at the Handa Cup.’’

Keegan will certainly have more trouble following his aunt’s performance than Pat will have following Keegan’s.

“The nice thing about the Ryder Cup is, they (the TV networks) will be playing it all night long, so I can catch up on him,’’ said Pat.

Pat Bradley, 53, was the only daughter among the six children of Richard and Kay Bradley. Her father was an avid golfer while she was growing up in Massachusetts and one of her brothers, Mark, became a PGA professional in Wyoming.

Pat won 31 tournaments on the LPGA tour including six major titles. Keegan, Mark’s son, won the PGA Championship in 2011 – his rookie season on the PGA Tour – and took the WGC Bridgestone Invitational in 2012. The Bradleys were selected National Golf Family of the Year in 1989 by the National Golf Foundation,

Both Keegan, 28, and Pat are known as fierce competitors, which adds to their enthusiasm for what’s ahead in the next few days. Ryder Cup matches begin on Friday and Handa Cup matches, for members of the LPGA Legends Tour, tee off on Saturday. Both competitions conclude on Sunday.

“It’s an exciting moment,’’ said Pat. “It is history – the Ryder Cup and Handa Cup. I’m thrilled to be here, thrilled to be part of the Handa Cup. I know Keegan is thrilled to be part of the Ryder Cup. It’ll be fun, and we’ll work hard.’’

Though Keegan was a star on the losing U.S. side at Medinah in 2012, he needed an invitation from U.S. captain Tom Watson to make this year’s Ryder Cup.

“He was worried,’’ said Pat. “He was hoping, and did everything in his power to be there. I’m happy Tom picked him. Keegan’s a great match player. He gets that competition, and he and Phil (Mickelson) made an exceptional team in the last Ryder Cup. Everybody’s sitting on the edge of their seats looking forward to see how Phil and Keegan come out of the box.’’

They’ll team up in the fourth match of the morning session at Gleneagles. Pat’s partner for Saturday’s team matches at Old Waverly hasn’t been announced.

“I’ve got to concentrate on what I’m doing and play hard for my partner and for the Handa Cup,’’ she said.

International Crown already looking ahead to Rich Harvest in 2016

As exciting as this first International Crown figures to be, the second staging in 2016 could well be even more eye-catching. It’ll be played at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, IL., 46 miles west of Chicago.

Rich Harvest is a much different place than Caves Valley. The ultra-private club has only 100 members. The facility is spread over 1,820 acres and includes a private car museum, miles of horseback-riding trails and three lakes stocked for fishing.

At the center of it all, though, is a beautiful golf course that didn’t have all 18 holes open until 17 years ago but is already an established tournament venue. Owner Jerry Rich has wanted it that way. Not only did he design the course and build it over a 10-year period, he was at the forefront in the creation of the International Crown – the showcase event at his very special place.

Simply put, Rich is a visionary with a passion for golf, the women’s version in particular.

“I want to create a legacy,’’ he said. “Bobby Jones created the Masters, so we can create the International Crown. I had long decided that I wanted to stay in women’s golf. It’s the type of product I wanted to be involved in.’’

Rich Harvest continues to be Chicago’s most active tournament venue. This year it hosted the men’s NCAA Central Regional in May and will host the Northern Intercollegiate, nearby Northern Illinois University’s showcase event, in September. In 2015 Rich Harvest will welcome the Western Amateur and Palmer Cup events and in 2017 it’ll be the site of the Western Golf Association’s 100th staging of the Western Junior Championship. Rich is making his biggest impact on the women’s side, however.

His involvement officially began in 2004, when he started a five-year project that resulted in Rich Harvest hosting one of the most successful Solheim Cups ever in 2009. The U.S. team came out the winner, but the staging was even more important. The event drew 120,00 spectators and averaged about 30,000 on days when the matches were in progress.

The success of that Solheim Cup only whetted Rich’s appetite for something even more significant. The International Crown fits that bill. He’s hopeful the event will find a permanent home at Rich Harvest; the 2016 event is just a starter.

“I contacted (LPGA commissioner) Mike Whan after the Solheim Cup,’’ said Rich. “I told him `You’ve got the greatest product in the world,’ but the Solheim Cup didn’t have the greatest players in women’s golf; they’re from Asia. We had to create something new and different, an event that would bring them into the competition.’’

Whan agreed, and a format for the International Crown was developed. Whan, however, wanted to get the Crown going in 2014 and Rich wasn’t ready for that. He needed time to develop related junior programs and organize a promotional effort even more elaborate than his Solheim Cup received.

Rich hired seven staffers two years ago. They began contacting high school and college girls’ teams and built a large database of contacts in 240 communities within 40 miles of Rich Harvest.

More important, though, the staffers alerted the Chicago consulates based in Chicago about the International Crown. All countries competing in this year’s International Crown have consulates based there, and about 30 attended an October luncheon at a Chicago restaurant. They were receptive, and there’ll be more contact with those groups as the second International Crown approaches.

“There will be only four Americans playing, so we’ve got to energize the ethnic bases,’’ said Rich. “We’ve got to get 1,000 or 2,000 out each day from the other countries. When Golf Channel shows it, that’ll making this thing really blossom. We don’t know how many total spectators we’ll get, but we should be able to match or exceed the number we had at the Solheim Cup.’’

Rich isn’t reluctant about declaring Chicago “the greatest city in the world,’’ and an ideal area for the Crown because of the global nature of its large population. There are, for instance, 50,000 Koreans living in the Chicago area. They’re sure to be excited about seeing their golf stars compete, especially after attending this year’s Watch Parties that the Rich Harvest staff has organized at various locations during the inaugural International Crown. The first Crown will be televised in 170 countries, so many more people world-wide will know about it by the time the matches begin at Rich Harvest.

Rich already invited the top Asian players on the LPGA Tour to visit Rich Harvest anytime over the next two years. None have seen the place yet, but they’ll be impressed once they get there.

The course, always among the best conditioned in the country, has consistently been listed in the elite Golf Digest rankings of America’s Top 100 Greatest Courses. It has state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor practice facilities in addition to 29 suites on the property. Rich Harvest is also home to the Kids Golf Foundation of Illinois, which has impacted the lives of over 100,000 youth since its inception in 1998.

Players on both the U.S. and European teams stayed in cottages on the property during Solheim Cup, but that won’t be the case in 2016. The 32 players will be housed at a luxury hotel 10 minutes from the course. The three estate houses on the course, which comprise 50 rooms, will house those with ambassador packages. There will be eight of them, each coming in at the $400,000 level and offering a variety of perks in addition to the on-course lodging.

The bulk of the other golf fans attending will find it easier to get to the course than those attending the Solheim did. Due to the popularity of the event, the Solheim had a 10-mile traffic backup at one point on the first day of the matches, but that problem won’t likely happen again. Roads were widened and a round-about built near the course to facilitate traffic flow. Alternate routes to the course have also been devised.

A diverse gallery is assured for the second International Crown. Chicago’s ethnic communities are expected to turn out in large numbers, but Rich is just as happy to predict “there’ll be a lot of young people here.’’

The youngsters will have more to watch than the competitive matches. A 5,000-square foot Kids Pavilion will include special stations to interest both the youth and adult visitors.

“It’ll be a learning experience. That’s all part of it,’’ said Rich.

Once Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel heard about plans for the International Crown he told Rich that “It’s the Olympics we didn’t get.’’

The city’s bid to host that premier international competition was rejected, but the International Crown promises to be a suitable replacement. And, if Rich has his way, it’ll be a long-lasting one.

“It’ll be huge – the biggest thing to ever hit golf,’’ Rich predicted. That remains to be seen – but no one’s arguing with him about it.

Conway Farms gets spruced up for ’15 BMW Championship

It’s back to Chicago for the BMW Championship. The Western Golf Assn. will continue its policy of playing its premier event close to its home base every other year, and Conway Farms will again be the site of tourney after it leaves Cherry Hills. It’ll next be contested from Sept. 14-20 in 2015.

Conway Farms, based in Chicago’s North Shore community of Lake Forest, hosted the tournament for the first time in 2013 and the event was a rousing success. It was one of the best-attended tournaments of the year on the PGA Tour, with 130,000 spectators. It produced the lowest 18-hole round of the season – Jim Furyk’s 59. It raised $2.3 million for the Evans Scholars Foundation and – for the second straight year – the BMW Championship was named the PGA Tour’s Tournament of the Year. The estimated economic impact for the area was $30 million.

Tournament director Vince Pellegrino called the support received at a new location “overwhelming.’’ Given that a PGA Tour event hadn’t been staged in Chicago’s North suburbs since 1972, it was no surprise when the PGA Tour confirmed the return to Conway Farms on May 28. There was no reason to change a good thing.

Still, the announcement was good news for the club’s most prominent member – former world No. 1 Luke Donald.

“As a member I’m proud that Conway Farms will again be hosting the BMW Championship,’’ said Donald, “and, as a PGA Tour player, I’m excited to have another opportunity to compete on my home course against the world’s best players.’’

Having the 2013 BMW at Conway was a tonic for Donald, who needed a strong showing there to earn a place in the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings that would qualify him for The Tour Championship in Atlanta. Donald got it with a tie for fourth place showing at Conway.

That tourney was filled with other highlights. Furyk’s hot second round made him only the sixth player to shoot a 59 in a PGA Tour event, following Al Geiberger, Chip Beck, David Duval, Paul Goydos and Stuart Appleby. Furyk was 12-under after making 11 birdies and a holeout for eagle at the par-4 15th hole.

Hunter Mahan also made a hole-in-one on the 17th hole, and controversy wasn’t lacking with Tiger Woods assessed a video-aided penalty. Those developments also helped make for an exciting week.

Woods finished in a tie for 11th, as Zach Johnson emerged the champion with a 16-under-par 268 performance. A 65 in the final round gave Johnson a two-stroke edge on Nick Watney and a three-shot advantage on Furyk, who finished solo third.

The tourney had one major problem – the weather. The final round couldn’t be completed on time because of heavy rain, and the tourney didn’t end until Monday.

When the event returns next year the place and the course will have a new look. The club membership undertook some major projects this summer that will enhance the next BMW Championship.

The practice range was closed on July 17 for a major renovation, and the course also was shut down early, on Aug. 4, to allow for renovation work by architects Tom Fazio and Dennis Wise. It won’t re-open until Memorial Day weekend of 2015.

All the greens were renovated and some other tweaks – described as “minor’’ by general manager Todd Marsh – were also made to the course so the 70 players who qualify for the next BMW Championship will find an even better layout than the one played in 2013. As you can tell, Conway Farms members take their golf seriously. Of the 265 members, 165 have single digit handicaps. That puts Conway in the top five clubs in the country for having that many quality players in its membership.

More extensive work was done off the course. Sixty-six spaces were added to the parking lot, the golf shop underwent a complete renovation and a state-of-the-art caddie headquarters was also constructed.

Even before the updating the Tom Fazio-designed layout was plenty good for tournament play. Six years after its 1991 opening it hosted the men’s NCAA Championship and a year later the U.S. Junior Amateur was played there.

Before the BMW’s arrival Conway also hosted the American Junior Golf Assn. Canon Cup in 2002 and 2006, the men’s Big Ten Championship in 2006, the Western Amateur in 2009 and the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2011.

Until the BMW came to town, however, the course’s only tests from pros came in the 2007 U.S. Open local qualifying and the 2008 U.S. Open sectional qualifying. The course was set up at 7,216 yards with a par of 71 for its first full-fledged test from PGA Tour players. The low scoring was in large part due to helpful playing conditions – rain-softened greens and little wind throughout the tourney.

Scoring could be much different next time, if the weather isn’t as ideal and the renovation creates more challenging playing conditions.

Michigan’s True North brings Carlson out of retirement

HARBOR SPRINGS, MI. – Terry Carlson thought his working life was done after being a head golf professional in the Chicago area for 26 years and then getting a big sendoff into retirement at a prestigious club in Arizona.

Terry Carlson couldn’t turn down the chance to work at True North.

Forty years as a club professional plus one as a player on the Champions Tour seemed like plenty until Carlson got a call from one of his former members. He wanted Carlson to spend four summer months running the golf operation at True North, a northern Michigan club that had undergone an ownership change and was in transition.

“I never realized how beautiful the courses are here,’’ said Carlson, who just reached his 70th birthday. “And I was overwhelmed when I saw this place. It’s a top-50 golf course in America. Every hole is just gorgeous.’’

The addition of five golf cottages has made True North a more attractive destination.

Carlson knows all about good golf courses. He was the head pro at Elgin Country Club for 10 years, then spent 16 in a similar position at Glen Oak in Glen Ellyn. While at Glen Oak he served term as president of the Illinois PGA.

Then he got a call from Estancia Club, a Scottsdale, Ariz., private facility that has a course ranked in America’s Top 100 Courses by Golf Digest magazine. Its members include two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson and several other PGA Tour players. Carlson spent 14 years there.

In addition to his club duties in Arizona and Illinois Carlson was a good enough player to earn playing privileges on the Champions Tour for one season and play in nine major championships.

“I’m very proud of that. Club pros today don’t get a chance to do that,’’ said Carlson. “It was a great life for me.’’

Carlson left Scottsdale after his retirement and moved to New Orleans to be close to family members. Then came the call from True North.

Elevation changes, on both the tees and greens, add to the challenge at True North.

“I jumped at the chance to come here,’’ said Carlson. True North has 67 members, and the list isn’t quite like it was at Estancia with its array of PGA Tour players. True North, however, does have Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly, former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and the son of Hord Hardin, former chairman of the Masters tournament for Augusta National.

True North has an interesting history. Its designer was the well-respected Jim Engh, whose first Michigan design – Tullymore in Stanwood – was an immediate hit in the Midwest. True North, which opened two years later in 2003, is at least as good. Carlson calls it a “good, tough and fair’’ layout. It measures 7,040 yards from the back tees with a rating of 73.2 and slope of 146.

“(Engh) has a specific style with his bunkering,’’ said Matt Payne, True North’s general manager. “What he did here was let the course flow with the natural terrain.’’

The first ownership group wanted the course to be the centerpiece for a real estate development. That didn’t work out. The next wanted to go fully public. That didn’t work, either. The present four-man group of owners is moving in a different direction, with five new golf cottages built in the last two years to create a setting for a national membership..

“They wanted a fully private, low volume, high quality level experience,’’ said Payne. “Our members just want a place to play when they come. We’re pretty casual, a first-name club that’s unique to the area. We don’t need a lot of members to make the place successful. We just need the right people to make it successful.’’

An up-close view of the wildlife is an added attraction to a round a True North.

Northern Michigan is loaded with good golf courses, most of them public or resort layouts. But not True North. Payne says the initial target for members is 150.

“We’re building a private club, which means we’re trying to sell privacy,’’ said Carlson. “We’re kind of bucking the trend. This is a place where a guy who doesn’t want to own a second home – and a lot don’t these days – can come and stay in our cottages. We take care of everything from the moment he arrives until the moment he leaves and we can pick up him and take him back to the airport. For a guy looking for a vacation home, this is a pretty good choice.’’

The club is offering generational memberships, meaning a member’s privileges extend to a spouse, parents and all dependents of the members. The club is looking to fill the membership roster with more than just individuals, but with a lineage of legacy that will be with the club for many years down the road. The member also has the ability to transfer the membership to a dependent at any time.

National corporate memberships are also an option. The club is offering one-time visits for non-members to enable them to experience the club, the cost depending on rounds played, cart and lodging fees and transportation requirements. Details on how that works is available through www.truenorthgolf.com.

A Q&A with USGA’s Tom O’Toole

The U.S. Golf Assn. is based in Far Hills, N.J., and its leaders don’t get to Chicago all that much. That’s why Tom O’Toole’s recent stopover offered a good opportunity to find out what’s new with golf’s ruling body in the United States.

O’Toole, the USGA president, is from St. Louis. He’s been involved with USGA matters since 1988 and is in his seventh year as a member of the USGA Executive Committee. O’Toole is in his first year as president after serving as secretary in 2010 and vice president from 2011 to 2013. He has also been a USGA rules official on more than 135 championships including every U.S. Open since 1990.

While O’Toole’s visit was designed to connect with key supporters and benefactors for next year’s U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields, KemperSports arranged for some select media to question him about current issues in our game. O’Toole spoke expansively, and this is the boiled down version of what he said:

QUESTION: While it’s great that the U.S. Amateur is coming (its 115th playing is from Aug. 17-23, 2015, on the North and South courses at Olympia Fields), Chicago is not on the current list for a U.S. Open – or any other USGA championship, for that matter. Will any big events – particular U.S. Opens – be coming?

O’TOOLE: It’s been the long-standing practice of the USGA that we don’t talk about invitations that we receive for particular championships because we protect the confidentiality of clubs and regions and communities that are in that mix. That said, Chicago certainly is a wonderful golf town. We’ve had great U.S. Opens here, even in the last couple of decades with Hale Irwin winning at Medinah (1990) and Jim Furyk at Olympia Fields (2003).

We would always look to interact with a club that would issue an invitation, or facility if it’s not a private membership club like Medinah or Olympia Fields, to bring the U.S. Open back to this storied town of Chicago.

QUESTION: Which club, or facility, would be the best bet for that?

O’TOOLE: Suffice to say that our experience next year at Olympia Fields will be one that will be looked at closely. I’m sure it will cause the club possibly to entertain other discussions with us about future championships at the club.

QUESTION: This year was an unusual one for the USGA, in that both the men’s U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open were played on the same course for the first time, and in back-to-back weeks. In retrospect, was that a good idea and will it likely be tried again?

O’TOOLE: We’ll continue to look at something like that. We knew there was associated risk with doing that, predominantly centered around the Women’s championship. We don’t want to be braggadocios, but we pretty much avoided those risks and ended up with two great weeks of championship golf.

We always thought it would be an unbelievable celebration of women’s golf. You don’t always achieve your objective when you start down a road like that, but I think we did that. There were more eyes on women’s golf that second week. Our ratings were fabulous, the best they’d ever been for the Women’s Open. We had great galleries. It was mission accomplished.

QUESTION: Given the USGA’s new, more lucrative television contract, could some of that money be used to start a U.S. Senior Women’s Open?

O’TOOLE: That’s been a hotbed of discussion. Mike Davis and Dan Burton, who chair our Championship Committee, met with players on the (LPGA) Legends Tour. We had a good exchange, and we’re looking at it very in-depth. It’s the only sector of golfers we don’t have a national championship for. We don’t want to rush to have one if we don’t think the championship is viable.

Do we have a number of golfers from both the female professional ranks or female amateur ranks who would want to participate? We’re looking at what the Legends Tour is, how big its fields are. They range anywhere from the mid-40s up to 100. What would be the right fit for that? We promised this group that this was not lip service, that we were taking a very serious look at this championship.

I want to get this resolved by year’s end so we can say, we’ve made a decision, we’re going to go forward, we’re not, and here is the reason for either answer. I’d look for something this year.

QUESTION: One tournament that went away this year was the U.S. Public Links, for both men and women. Any regrets about that?

O’TOOLE: It was somewhat of a sad time when we retired that championship, but society has changed. We need to be celebrating that point, the fact that we don’t have in any of our national championships any requirements about what your socioeconomic background is, what golf club or facility you play for or represent.

It’s a wonderful thing that in this day and age we’ve evolved past that, particularly in a sport that’s been accused of being an elitist sport, exclusionary and not inclusionary. We don’t need those championships anymore because our society is open, our game is open. It’s something to be exhilarated about and not be disappointed about.

QUESTION: Finally, the U.S. Amateur that is coming to Olympia Fields next year may not be the most heavily followed of the USGA events but your organization in many ways finds it the most important. Why is that?

O’TOOLE: Well, it’s our oldest championship (it was first held in 1895) and the USGA is an amateur body. That’s why we were formed in December of 1894 – to conduct championships that are primarily of the amateur variety.

I don’t think there’s any debate in men’s amateur golf that the most coveted title is the Havemeyer Trophy (which goes to the U.S. Amateur champion). It just has a long connection with what the USGA represents and the epitome of what we’re trying to do in our championship presentation. The level of competition that you enjoy at the Amateur is the best in the amateur game. We have a particular attachment to it for what it means in championship golf going forward.

Legends do their part to help children’s hospital

FRENCH LICK, Ind. — Braden Tamosaitis got to roll some putts on the Pete Dye Course on Saturday and also meet many of the players competing in the second round of the LPGA Legends Championship.

Nine-year old Braden Tamosaitis got an up-close-and-personal look at the LPGA Legends Championship.

Braden, age 9, enjoyed the experience thoroughly and the players he touched most certainly did, as well.

“He’s a special little kid,’’ summed up Dave Harner, director of golf at French Lick.

Braden was born with spina bifida, hydrocephalus and Arnold Chiari II malformation. He underwent surgery the day after he was born and again on the second day of his life. Altogether he’s had 17 surgeries, but they haven’t dimmed his spirit for life. He was delighted to report that a couple of putts on the practice green even found the hole.

“He’s a very happy kid, and a better interview than I am,’’ said his father, Kevin, who drove his family over two hours (from Camby, Ind., near Indianapolis) on Friday night so that they could participate in Saturday’s Walk for Riley while the Legends tournament was in progress.

Riley Children’s Hospital at IU Health is the new charity partner with the Legends Championship. The hospital will received a check for $100,000 following Sunday’s final round to continue its work with families dealing with severe health problems.

“French Lick really stepped up,’’ said Kevin Tamosaitis. “We’ve been welcomed with open arms and treated like VIPs.’’

Harner said Riley Children’s Hospital’s involvement developed because `we wanted something everyone in Indiana could identify with and be a part of.’’ Harner knew of Braden and the Riley programs because his own son was involved in the Riley Dance Marathon at Indiana University.

“Riley affects all 92 counties in the state of Indiana plus Kentucky, Illinois and Ohio,’’ said Joe Vezzoso, vice president of hotel operations for French Lick Resort. “This is a win-win for everyone.’’

The Tamosaitis family isn’t new to the special events tied into Riley Hospital. Braden was named Indiana’s 2013 Children’s Miracle Network Champion, and that enabled him to represent the state in a celebratory event in Orlando, Fla., and then take a flight to Washington D.C. where – among other things — he met with President Obama.

Braden’s battle with spina bifida, though, continues. He watched Saturday’s event from a wheelchair near the No. 8 tee and more surgeries at Riley wouldn’t be unexpected.

“He looks forward to them,’’ said his father, “because he gets room service and his friends are there, both patients and doctors. He’s very comfortable there. It’s not like a home-away-from-home; it’s like our other home.’’

Five families from Riley participated in Saturday’s Walk. They were scattered around the course, and those participating in the Walk got to interact the Riley families. That made the Walk all the more special for over 75 youngsters who came from all parts of the area.

“The First Tee of Louisville brought 35 kids,’’ said Harner. “We had them from three years old through high school.’’

Walk participants and the Riley families participated together in an introductory event on the Dye Course putting green, with two of the LPGA competitors – Lorie Kane and Ann-Marie Palli – offered instruction. Then the families went to checkpoints along the course and the Walk for Riley participants took off on a tour of the spectacular, hilly course. They received stickers at each checkpoint and those who covered the full 18 holes received a small gift upon completion of the hike.

Leukemia survivor was a big hit at Legends event

Ashtyn Brown’s final swing at the LPGA Legends Championship may not have produced the desired result, but there’s no doubt she was the star of the show.

As the ambassador for Riley Children’s Hospital at IU Health, Ashtyn was the honorary starter for the 54-hole tournament on Friday. She hooked her tee shot, just a minor distraction in a saga that began in March when the hospital’s partnership with the tournament was announced.

The end result, said French Lick director of golf Dave Harner, was a $100,000 donation to the hospital through tournament activities.

Along the way Ashtyn gave several speeches describing her brutal battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She also went on a media tour with Legends star Rosie Jones and played in Jones’ tournament in Roswell, Ga.

Once the Legends arrived at French Lick Ashtyn was a focal point at Thursday’s pro-am activities as well as the dinner in which she gave one more touching speech to a big gathering in the rotunda of the West Baden Springs Hotel at French Lick Resort.

In the pro-am she was paired with Joanne Carner, the LPGA Hall of Famer, and was the cart partner of Steve Ferguson, chairman of the board of Cook Group. There’s about a 50-year difference in age between Carner and Ashtyn, and their round together didn’t quite last 18 holes because of time constraints involving the Hall of Fame dinner.

“It was just incredible just to be out there with those ladies, especially Joanne,’’ said Ashtyn. “She has so much experience in golf and is a great lady as well. It’s not surprising or shocking how great these people on the Legends Tour are, and my being a golfer myself, you strive to be like them.’’

The Legends event wasn’t the first for Ashtyn in her role with the hospital. She also have speeches in golf-related settings in Indianapolis and at the PGA’s Children’s Miracle Network event in Orlando, Fla.

In all her speeches she related how she was diagnosed with the disease twice. The first was in 1999, and she endured over two years of chemotherapy. Three years later she suffered a relapse and needed another two-plus years of chemo, radiation and a trial medication that proved to be a miracle drug.

At one point, she said, her weight had dropped to 35 pounds and she was given a 10 percent chance to survive. Along the way she lost 10 of her friends along with her doctor to cancer, but Ashtyn beat the odds.

“Through speaking it’s helped me heal, just as much as I want to help other people,’’ she said. “I’ve gone through so much hurt.’’

But she is moving on from those trying days and will check in at the University of Indianapolis on Monday for her senior year. She calls the Legends experience “something I’ll remember forever.’’

In high school in Richmond, Ind., Ashtyn was a member of the state-runner-up girls golf team in her sophomore year and carried golf into college. After two years at Ball State she transferred to Indianapolis and is part of a strong team there. Though she’s a senior academically, she took a redshirt season previously and has two years of athletic eligibility remaining. She plans to make the most of it.

“I want to take my game as far as I can,’’ she said; “I love the game, but realistically I’ve got to get much better than I am now. I want my game to be the best it can be.’’