ASHEVILLE, North Carolina – This city in the Blue Ridge Mountains, just over the Kentucky line, isn’t the first place that left me wanting to stay longer – just the latest one.

An interesting place, Asheville. It’s been called the “Hippie Hideaway of the South.’’ Its downtown hangouts reminded us of a miniature New Orleans – art galleries, street entertainers, restaurants with unusual but tasty cuisine and trendy but southern-style cooking.

The big tourist attraction, though, is the Biltmore Estate. It’s billed as the “World’s Largest House,’’ and I don’t know what else would come close. This creation of George W. Vanderbilt during a six-year period leading into its opening in 1895 has four acres of floor space, 250 rooms, 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces and three kitchens. By comparison, the Biltmore house is more than two times the size of William Randolph Heart’s San Simeon castle in California.

Supposedly designed as Vanderbilt’s bachelor pad, Vanderbilt created a place built for house guests – and there were a lot of them because the place had most everything on its 8,000 acres.

It required nearly two hours to complete a walking tour of the house, which was filled with artistic works and separate rooms for all types of entertainment pursuits. Frankly, though, I found it depressingly dark inside.

The outside was another story. The floral gardens were the highlight of the visit, but the estate also included a separate village a short drive away that featured a winery and array of shops. There was one thing it didn’t have, though – a golf course.

You’d think that, given all the land and financial support available, there would have been one on the grounds. There even were a few golf-related offerings in the shops, but no course. Naturally I had to ask about that.

There was once a nine-hole course but it kept getting flooded and was eventually abandoned, I was told by one of the tour guides. Still, there’s a golf story to tell regarding the Biltmore Estate.

Vanderbilt married in 1898, after the estate was up and running, and he died at the young age of 51 in 1914 after suffering complications from an appendectomy. His wife, Edith, took charge then. She sold off small parcels of the estate, and some of it went to people interested in building a country club.

Cornelia Vanderbilt, the only child of George and Edith, was born in 1900 and became the owner of Biltmore Forest Country Club. She hit the first ball on its Donald Ross-designed golf course in July of 1922. The course was eventually played by such luminaries as Bobby Jones, Bill Tilden, John D. Rockefeller, William Jennings Bryan, and U.S. presidents William Howard Taft and Calvin Coolidge.

The Biltmore Estate, meanwhile, was opened in 1930 to stimulate tourist activity in Asheville and to help maintain the vast facility. The Biltmore Forest course, now located on the outskirts of the Ashville city limits, was taken over by club members beginning in 1940 thanks to a lease agreement negotiated with the Biltmore Estate. An option to buy was exercised in 1948.

Over the years the course has undergone many changes, the most recent being a $6.4 million restoration of the golf course and a $1.8 million restoration of the clubhouse. Both were designed to take the club back to its 1922 splendor. Biltmore Forest remains a by-invitation member owned private club.

So, you’ve been lucky enough to wangle tickets to the 41st Ryder Cup at Hazeltine? Lucky you – and you might benefit still further by enjoying some of the courses on your way to and from Chaska, MN.

Chicago golfers have a couple options on how to drive to Hazeltine. You could drive along Lake Michigan, going through Kenosha and Milwaukee before heading west through the heart of Wisconsin. Or, you could journey through Illinois along Routes 90 and 94, going through Rockford and Madison. The golf options are better going through Rockford but, either way, there are good public-accessible courses along the way that comfortably affordable.

Here’s a guide to playing possibilities. Their proximity to the highways leading to Hazeltine were a high priority in their selection.

VIA KENOSHA AND MILWAUKEE

A good first stop could be Ives Grove, a 27-hole facility in Sturtevant, just over the Illinois line. It’s got an abundance of bunkers (110, to be exact), but walking is allowed and the course is affordable. Even at weekend prime time for riders the fee is under $50. And, if for some reason Ives Grove doesn’t work out, there’s nearby Browns Lake in Burlington, which has been around since 1921. Both are managed by H&H Fairways.
INFO: hhfairway.com, brownslakegc.com or ivesgrovegl.com.

The second stop was chosen for location more than anything else. Brookfield Hills, in Brookfield, is 15 miles west of Milwaukee and it couldn’t be any closer to I-94. The course touches the east-bound lanes of the interstate. This family-owned course has been open since 1971 but it’s not a full-length layout. A par 62, it measures only 4,926 yards but there’s still some challenging holes.
INFO: brookfieldhillsgolf.com.

A suggested third stop is much different than the first two. Lake Mills has been challenging golfers for 85 years. Located on Main Street in the town of the same name, Lake Mills is a 6,745-yard par-72 layout with a busy dining spot, Mulligan’s on the Green. It’s 28 miles from the golfing hotbed of Madison.
INFO: lakemillsgolfclub.com.

You can’t get through the Madison area without finding a good course close to your route. Lake Windsor, in Windsor, is a 6,390-yard, par-72 layout that opened in 1961 and has been famly-owned since 2005. It’s supplemented by an impressive clubhouse that provides full service dining.
INFO: lakewindsor.com.

As is the case while cruising through Madison, you won’t have any trouble finding a good course in the Wisconsin Dells area. Probably the best known is Trappers Turn, which is blessed with 27 holes (the Arbor, Canyon and Lake nines) all jointly designed by two-time U.S. Open champion Andy North and Roger Packard. It’s one of the top golf facilities in the Badger State.
INFO: TrappersTurn.com.

Stillwater, MN., just over the Wisconsin line, is a three-hour drive from the Dells and it features StoneRidge, one of the best public courses in Minnesota. It’s a links-style Bobby Weed design that opened to the public in 2000.
INFO: stoneridgegc.com.

VIA ROCKFORD AND MADISON.

You don’t even leave Illinois before hitting Aldeen, in Rockford. It’s one of the best public courses in the state and hosted the Illinois State Amateur in 2013. The course, designed by Dick Nugent, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Measuring 7,131 yards from the tips, it’s a real test for even the best players.
INFO: aldeengolfclub.com.

Barely an hour’s drive from Rockford along Rt. 90 is Madison, home to a wide range of quality layouts. None are better than University Ridge, which is on the edge of both Madison and the town of Verona. A Robert Trent Jones Jr. design that opened in 1991, it’s the home course for both the men’s and women’s teams of the University of Wisconsin and this year it became a Champions Tour site when host Steve Stricker brought the American Family Insurance Championship there in June.
INFO: universityridge.com.

On to the Wisconsin Dells and another great layout – Wild Rock. It’s connected to the Wilderness Resort, which means there’s some stay and play options available. Wild Rock was designed by Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry, the same architectural team that designed another Wisconsin course, Erin Hills. That layout will host the U.S. Open in 2017.
INFO: wildrockgolf.com.

Golf options dwindle after leaving the Dells, but Routes 90 and 94 split at the town of Tomah, and that’s a good stop-off point because the Hiawatha Golf Club is locate there. It’s a good gathering place for the local golf enthusiasts with its 6,550-yard course, the front nine of which was built in 1959 and the back in 1994.
INFO: golfhiawatha.com.

Hudson is the last town in Wisconsin before you enter Minnesota and it has a course well worth checking out. Troy Burne is a Tom Lehman Signature Design. Lehman will be one of the assistants for U.S. captain Davis Love III at the Ryder Cup. Troy Burne features 120 bunkers and is known for its consistently fine conditioning.
INFO: troyburne.com.

Cross into Minnesota and more good courses are available. One of the best is Prestwick, in Woodbury. At 6,876 yards from the back tees with large undulating greens and many elevated tees, this layout is made for the serious player.
INFO: Prestwick.com.

These courses were chosen in large part because of their proximity to the route to Hazeltine. If you have time to stray a bit from that route there’s many great courses available to you – especially in Wisconsin. Among them are Brown Deer, in Milwaukee; Hawks Landing, Madison; Glen Erin, Janesville; Lawsonia, Green Lake; Morningstar, Waukesha; Sentry World, Stevens Point; Caste Course at Northern Bay, Arkdale; and Oaks, Cottage Grove.
INFO: Check out the Wisconsin Golf Trail, golfwisconsin.com.

BELOIT, Wisconsin – The last two decades have done wonders for golf in Wisconsin. Look no further than the creations of Blackwolf Run, Whistling Straits, Erin Hills and – most recently – Sand Valley. And don’t forget the recent major upgrades at SentryWorld and Lawsonia.

The Beloit Club should count in that mix as well, though it doesn’t have a high-profile tournament course and isn’t open to the public, either.

A private facility since its opening in 1909, the Beloit Club’s transformation in just the last two years has carried over to most positive changes in the town of 30,000 in which it resides. Golf is just part of it.

Prior to taking on its present name in 2014 the Beloit Club was known as the Country Club of Beloit. Its course was designed by Tom Bendelow, who seems to have designed a vast majority of the layouts that went up in the Midwest in the early 1900s. Bendelow’s designs were pretty basic things but, surprisingly, many are still most relevant now – though renovations and upgrades were inevitable. That’s been the case at the Beloit Club.

Stanley Pelchar, who designed courses mainly in the 1920s, is also listed among the architects of record as is Bob Lohman, who started his successful Illinois firm in 1984.

The city of Beloit, just over the Illinois line from Rockford, was one of many that struggled in the economic downturns of the last decade and its only private golf club did as well. The club’s membership dipped to 115 before help from life-long area resident Diane Hendricks was requested.

Hendricks, a billionaire who deemed a private golf club a necessary amenity in her community, decided she’d simply purchase the club. That’s when exciting things started to happen. Hendricks, whose ownership of some 65 companies began when she and her late husband Ken took over ABC Supply — the largest wholesale distributor of roofing and siding materials, has invested $15 million in the Beloit Club project.

Every building on the property — from the clubhouse to the swimming pool to the maintenance facility and cart barn — is now brand new. Oliphant/Haltom was brought in to manage the golf course and that led to the removal of 500 trees in what was largely a cleanup effort.

The course, which measures 6,847 yards from the back tees and 5,160 from the front, is great for walking and fun for players of all abilities. The square-shaped tee boxes and mowed paths from greens to tees enhance a most pleasant setting. Best of all, though, are the four par-3s – Nos. 3, 7, 10 and 16. Taken collectively, I can’t recall seeing a better combination of short holes – though I’ll admit that’s an argumentative appraisal.

Kent Instefjord, the Beloit Club’s general manager, arrived when the upgrading began but he was already well versed in the spectacular golf growth in the Badger state. Raised in nearby Janesville, he worked at Blackwolf Run before a stint as head professional at Whistling Straits from 1998 to 2003 and was also general manager and director of golf at Erin Hills from 2006 to 2010. Instefjord had similar roles at high profile clubs in Missouri (St. Albans) and Arizona (LaPaloma) before returning closer to home for the Beloit Club revival.

Since his arrival the membership has climbed to 380 – with 100 coming just this year –and the upgrading is far from finished. An expansion of the lockerrooms and pro shop and the creation of a spa and lodge to accommodate overnight guests is also in the works.

The next new thing, though, will come off the Beloit Club property. The Ironworks Golf Lab has a scheduled October opening in Beloit’s soon-to-be-bustling downtown area. It’ll be open to the public and offer, among other things, three indoor golf simulators with the Beloit Club staff running the operation.

The entry number is already over 2,900 from 25 countries, but there’s still room for more in the 33rd annual Myrtle Beach World Amateur Handicap Championship. The deadline to enter the event, labeled “Every Man’s Major,’’ is Aug. 6 and the competition runs from Aug. 29 to Sept. 2.

Nearly 60 of Myrtle Beach’s best courses participate in the event, which includes four rounds of golf, a gift bag and nightly entry into the World’s Largest 19th Hole – which features free food and drinks, live entertainment, a golf expo and other attractions at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.

Golfers are assigned flights based on gender, age and handicap. At the conclusion of four rounds all flight winners and ties advance to the 18-hole championship playoff where the overall champion is crowned. Players with handicaps as low as three and as high as 34 have won the overall title.

Opening near for Hilton Head’s newest course

The Ocean Course may have been the most historic layout at Hilton Head, S.C., but it is no more.

Love Golf Design, founded by U.S. Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III and his brother Mark, have directed a complete reconstruction and recreation of the first course built on Hilton Head. It’ll be known as Atlantic Dunes when it opens for play in October.

Atlantic Dunes will feature a pronounced seaside ambience accented by coquina shells and seaside grasses. The design goal was to incorporate elements of the surrounding beachfront along with the area’s bounty of native pines and oaks lining the fairways.

Love and lead architect Scot Sherman entirely rebuilt some holes to accommodate modern shot values. The course will benefit both visually and strategically from restoration of natural sand dunes as well as the creation of new dunes. Tens of thousands of indigenous plants have also been installed in these areas.

Michigan’s Gull Lake View will soon have a sixth course

Way back in 1963 Darl and Letha Scott built a nine-hole course in Southwest Michigan. Very soon the family-run operation will have its sixth 18-holer.

Stoatin Brae – which means Grand Hill in Scottish Gaelic – will be only the second course of the six not designed by members of the Scott family. It’s billed as a departure from the other five that have holes cutting through the trees and hills on the area’s natural rolling land in the town of Richland, near Kalamazoo.

Eric Iverson, Don Placek, Brian Schneider and Brian Slawnik – all senior associates for Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design of Traverse City, Mich. — worked with the Scott family on determining the site for Soatin Brae. Doak was not involved in the project.

The new course is on a site located atop an open grassy bluff overlooking the Kalamazoo River Valley and there’s one point where golfers scan see 15 flagsticks on a clear day. The course’s restaurant, named Blue Stern after a native grass that is growing on the course, will open at about the same time as the par-71, 6,800-yard layout.

Island Resort is adding second course

Island Resort & Casino in Harris, Mich., has begun construction on its second course. Tony Mancilla, general manager of the resort in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, said the layout will be called Sage Run. The name references 10 holes that will run significantly downhill on the course.

Paul Albanese is the course architect. He also designed Sweetgrass, the resort’s other course that is the site of the Symetra Tour’s Island Resort Championship.

Nine fairways of Sage Run will be planted beginning this month and the other nine in the spring. A soft opening is planned for the fall of 2017 and a grand opening in 2018.

Mission Inn plans Centennial celebration

The El Campeon course at Florida’s Mission Inn Resort and Club turns 100 in 2017 but the celebration will start early. The “100th Anniversary Golfers Getaway Package’’ will be offered beginning in October and will run through Jan. 15, 2015.

Designed by George O’Neil, a golf professional and architect from Chicago Golf Club, El Campeon was originally known as the Floridian when it opened in Howey-in-the-Hills near Orlando. It was one of the first courses in Florida to feature grass greens rather than the oil-sand greens common a century ago. It was also one of only two courses in the state built to what was then considered the “regulation’’ length of 6,300 yards.

The course took its present name when the Beucher family, transplants from the Chicago area, bought the resort in 1964. The course has 85-foot elevations changes, a rarity for central Florida layouts.

Reynolds Lake Oconee welcomes AJGA

The American Junior Golf Association and Reynolds Lake Oconee, in Greensboro, Ga., has announced a five-year partnership on a new championship event – the AJGA Junior All-Star Invitational. It’ll cap a season-long Road to Reynolds sequence of events for players ages 12 to 15 participating in the AJGA’s American College Development Services Series.

The event, to be held for the first time in 2017, will have an international field of 96 male and female players determined by the Polo Golf Rankings. They’ll compete over 54 holes. The Rolex Tournament of Champions, an international event for top-ranked boys and girls in the 12-18 age group, will also return to Reynolds Lake Oconee in 2021.

Bits and pieces

French Lick Resort, in southern Indiana, will host the LPGA Legends Championship for the fourth straight year from Aug. 18-21 on its Pete Dye Course. Sandra Haynie and Elaine Crosby will be inducted into the Legends Hall of Fame as part of the tourney activities.

The Inn on Woodlake, the boutique hotel for Wisconsin’s Destination Kohler, is expanding. Plans call for the Inn to get a combination of four-bedroom and two-bedroom units along with additional single rooms. The Inn is a popular spot for golfers coming to play Whistling Straits — home to three previous PGA Championships and the Ryder Cup site in 2020 — and/or Blackwolf Run, which has hosted two U.S. Women’s Opens.

Oglebay Park, in Wheeling, W. Va., announced that its courses were not affected by the recent floods that devastated the state. Oglebay has two 18-holers – The Speidel Golf Club, designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Arnold Palmer, and the 5,600-yard original course called the Crispin.

Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Golf & Spa Resort, in Los Cabos, Mexico, is expanding with the creation of The Towers at Pacifica, three new structures featuring distinct accommodations, enhanced amenities and first-class personalized services.

Cobble Beach, in Kemble, Ontario, has announced an “Unlimited Golf’’ special– $99 from Monday-Wednesday, on its Doug Carrick-designed course that has been ranked among the best public courses in Canada. After 4 p.m. the price drops to $69.

OSCODA, Michigan – I’ve always tended to shy away from dwelling on greens fees in reporting on golf travel destinations. There’s a good reason for that. Course owners, by necessity, are constantly changing what they charge their golfers and these reports can’t keep up with that. They’re written with the expectation of a long shelf life.

So, when a course is described by many as “the best golf buy in Michigan,’’ that’s a hard claim to substantiate.

But then there’s the Lakewood Shores Resort, which has been operating for over three decades within a short walk of Lake Huron and proclaims itself as “Michigan’s Best Value Resort!’’ It has three courses, each very different from the other two, and price is definitely a plus – though we’re still not going to get into specific figures.

Let’s put it this way: the resort’s promotional literature states “we believe in offering great golf along with comfortable lodging in a truly sincere and friendly atmosphere at an affordable rate.’’

I can’t quibble with any of that.

What’s most striking about Lakewood Shores is the variety in its courses in a relatively out-of-the-way segment of this golf-rich state.

The Serradella came first, a parkland style layout designed by Bruce Matthews that opened in 1969. It has minimal hazards, wide fairways, large greens and a tradition for having extraordinary floral gardens. That was the only course when Craig Peters arrived on the scene.

Stan Aldridge, already established in Michigan golf as the owner of the private Indianwood in Lake Orion, had just purchased the property and Peters – a former Notre Dame golfer – had decided that it was time to give up trying to be a touring pro. Lakewood Shores and Peters were an ideal fit. He is now in his 29th year at Lakewood Shores, serving as both general manager and director of golf.

Lakewood Shores will probably never be as well known as Indianwood. It was the site of the 1930 Western Open, won by Gene Sarazen, but thrived more after Aldridge purchased it in 1981. Since then it has hosted two U.S. Women’s Opens – 1989, won by Betsy King, and 1994, won by Patty Sheehan – and the 2012 U.S. Senior Open. Roger Chapman was the champion in that one.

Aldridge, who was eventually inducted into the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame, expanded his portfolio by adding two courses to his original purchase of Lakewood Shores. Best known of the trio of 18-holers there is The Gailes, which was Golf Digest’s Best New Resort Course of 1993.

Lots of Midwest courses have been promoted as Scottish-style links courses, but this one is way ahead of its counterparts. It has double greens, an array of sod-faced pot bunkers and long fescue grasses. I’ve played lots of courses in over 30 years of Michigan visits, but haven’t encountered one like this one. Aldridge’s son Kevin is the designer of record for The Gailes, though Bob Cupp also had a hand in the project.

Kevin Aldridge did all the design work at the second course added after the Aldridge purchase. It’s called Blackshire, a great walking course with a rugged feel thanks to the hardwoods, large sand waste areas and undulations in the greens that are incorporated into the design. It opened in 2001.

In 2004 The Wee Links was added, an 18-hole pitch and putt course also designed by Aldridge with holes ranging from 50 to 105 yards. It can be played free of charge if you’re a resort guest.

ROSCOMMON, Michigan – America’s most innovative golf course design is now open for play – at least on a limited basis.

The Loop, created by the highly imaginative Michigan architect Tom Doak, is an 18-hole course that can be played in two directions. One day it’s the Black Course – 6,704 yards from the back tees and a par 70 played in a clockwise direction. The next day it’s the Red Course, played counter-clockwise at 6,805 yards from the tips but still a par 70. Within the borders of North America there’s no course, or courses, like it.

I walked The Loop in the summer of 2015 while it was under construction. With just a few contours evident in the dirt and little grass showing, it was difficult to judge what Doak was up to. Now that I’ve played it in both directions, I know. And I like it – a lot.

While a more imaginative name seems appropriate, given the nature of the course, The Loop will take the golf world by storm in 2017 when it is fully ready for play. During our July visit only 24 players per day – either members or overnight guests staying in on-site lodging — were allowed on the course.

The halfway house was still under construction, there were no benches available for sitting and only one, very basic, rest room was on the property. Though yardage books were available, slope and rating figures for The Loop had not been determined.

It was helpful for early visitors to be accompanied by a staffer, as the routes weren’t clearly defined and signage on the course was minimal. Those understandable shortcomings were being corrected, though, and the number of players allowed each day is to be increased to 48 before the summer was out.

By 2017, however, many, many more will be able to see what The Loop is all about. Some – mainly non-walkers – might not like it but most will.

To appreciate the creation a golfer has to block out two days and be prepared to walk about five miles each day. No carts are allowed, though caddies and push carts are available. Business considerations could conceivably lead to changes in that policy, but I hope it’ll always be a walking course. Allowing power carts would detract from what Doak has done.

Doak had just finished up a massive renovation of the No. 1 course at Chicago’s Medinah Country Club when he started on The Loop and the staff has a Chicago influence. Brian Moore, the director of agronomy who worked closely with Doak during the construction, arrived there after three years as an assistant superintendent at Chicago Golf Club. Chad Maveus, the general manager and director of golf, grew up in the Chicago suburb of Sycamore and played collegiately at Northern Illinois before spending 13 seasons at California’s famed Pebble Beach. Maveus had no trouble adjusting to the change in lifestyle and is looking forward to an expected influx of more players thanks to The Loop’s availability.

As for Doak, he had been considering a reversible course for about 30 years and still doesn’t consider the concept to be all that new. While the concept may be revolutionary for American golfers, it’s not so much that way in Europe.

Many clubs there play their courses backwards once a year just for fun. Others, particularly in Scotland, have been played in reverse during the winter months to spread out the wear and tear on divots. Even storied St. Andrews has been played in reverse.

To develop his reverse course in the United States Doak needed a basically flat piece of property with few trees and an owner who could think outside the box. Lew Thompson fit that to a tee.

A little history before we get back to the details of the course.

Thompson, who is in the trucking business in Arkansas, also owns The Bridges – a Jack Nicklaus design in Colorado. His only other venture into golf came in this little town of about 8,000. The Loop has become the companion course to the well-received Forest Dunes layout, which was designed by Tom Weiskopf and opened in 1998.

Forest Dunes opened as a private club in a gated community. With just six homes available, the original owner opted to sell it to the Michigan Carpenters Union Pension Fund in 2002 and Thompson stepped in to purchase the 1,325-acre property in 2011.

The Forest Dunes course was built on just 500 of those acres, so Thompson had plenty of land to consider other options and upgrades. The need for more lodging was immediately evident, and the 14-room Lake AuSable Lodge was added near the Adirondack-style clubhouse.

While Forest Dunes was consistently ranked as one of the very best courses in golf-rich Michigan, having only one layout on the property wasn’t enough to bring in enough visitors. That’s when Thompson and Doak eventually connected. Thompson wanted something that would stand alone for his second course, something very unlike Forest Dunes. Doak certainly gave it to him.

Thompson and some friends were the first to play The Loop, on June 27 of 2016. A member-guest event shortly thereafter served as an informal grand opening for what Forest Dunes is billing as its “Preview Season.’’ A more elaborate grand opening is likely in the spring of 2017.

To get a feel for what The Loop is like it’s first important to know what it doesn’t have. The Loop is built on 200 acres, less than half that used for the Forest Dunes layout, and water is not a factor anywhere. While there are no lakes, ponds or streams, there are 41 and bunkers and 40 grass bunkers. The greens are big and undulating; their average size is 6,500 square feet with the biggest at 8,600 and smallest at 5,000. The fairways are generous and you can play out of most of the rough areas.

Some early players felt there was a big disparity in difficulty between the Black and Red versions. One of my colleagues showed a 20-stroke difference in his scores between the layouts. That wasn’t evident in my visit. I found the Black three strokes easier than the Red, even though one round was played on an extraordinarily windy day and the other wasn’t. My partner had an 11-stroke difference but played all 36 holes with the same ball.

Clearly links style, The Loop is triggering other developments at Forest Dunes. Two villas opened in the spring and two more will be available next spring. Ninety-five beds are available for guests now and that number will increase to 125 in 2017. The addition of a par-3 course is also under consideration.

Well-known instructor Rick Smith opened a teaching facility at Forest Dunes this year and predicted that “it’ll be the most talked about golf destination in the country over the next five to 10 years.’’

There’s no arguing that.

You’re a Chicago resident and you want to play golf year-around? One way to do that is to move to Florida, and some who did even went a step further. They bought their own courses in the Sunshine State and have taken them to new, higher levels.

Two Orlando area facilities – Mission Inn Resort & Club, in Howie-in-the-Hills, and Royal St. Cloud Golf Links, in St. Cloud – are thriving under the guidance of transplanted Chicago area residents.

The tale of Mission Inn, a resort with 36 holes located 35 miles southwest of Orlando, goes back to 1964 when Nick Beucher, a Wilmette resident who worked as a salesman for Morton Salt Company, bought the Hotel Floridian and its dilapidated golf course. He gradually brought family members from Chicago to help in the development of the place.
Son Bob came to Florida first and eventually became the resort president.

Bob’s now retired but retains the president’s title while his brother Bud directs the day to day operation. Nick Beucher died in 2005 at the age of 88, but the family spirit remains at Mission Inn. In addition to the two sons, three of their four brothers-in-law, one of two sisters-in-law and all 16 grandchildren have been involved in the resort’s operation.

Royal St. Cloud’s story is much different. It involves two former Chicago area residents — successful Hinsdale businessman Tom Butler and Bill Filson, a former teaching professional at Oak Brook Golf Club. Butler was one of Filson’s pupils there. Together they opted to buy Royal St. Cloud in 2003 with Filson becoming the general manager and face of the facility.

Filson had the background in golf. He grew up in LaGrange and his father was superintendent of Illinois Masonic Children’s Home. Tom Byrd, the late head professional at the since closed Timber Trails golf course, taught Filson the basics of the game and Filson eventually joined Trey Van Dyck’s staff at Oak Brook after giving up hopes of becoming a tournament player. Filson worked at Oak Brook 11 years before coming to Florida.

While Filson was guiding Royal St. Cloud’s emergence as one of Orlando’s busiest courses , Mission Inn was blossoming as a full service resort spread over 1,100 acres. The resort has 176 guest rooms and suites, four restaurants, two lounges, a poolside cabana, a 54-slip marina, fitness center and spa. The two courses, though, make it a special place for golfers.

El Campeon, the older layout, was built in 1917 and is the fifth-oldest course in Florida. A Chicago architect, George O’Neil, built the original course, which was known as Howey Golf Club. It was also called Chain O’Lakes, Bougainvillea and Floridian before the present name – which means “The Champion’’ in Spanish – was adopted.

A Scottish architect, Charles Clarke, updated El Campeon after 10 years and is the architect of record, though more updates followed over the years. Despite its age, it’s still very much relevant for any level of golfer. In 2009 El Campeon was named Florida’s Course of the Year by the National Golf Course Owners Association.

The other course at Mission Inn, Las Colinas, is in its 23rd season and – like El Campeon — has been consistently listed among Florida’s Top 25 in the various polls. That’s saying something, since Florida is rich in golf courses with well over 1,000 in operation.

A nominee for Best New Resort Course by Golf Digest magazine in its early years, Las Colinas was designed by Gary Koch, a veteran PGA Tour player, in 1992 and renovated by the respected Ron Garl in 2007. The Beucher family is particularly proud of the many collegiate events that have been played there.

El Campeon doesn’t look like a typical Florida course. With 85 feet of elevation changes it offers a most memorable golfing adventure thanks in large part to major design tweaking over the years supervised by Bob Beucher. Now El Campeon even has an island green, at the par-4 16th

Las Colinas (Spanish for “The Hills’’) is a more typical Florida resort layout. It has wide fairways and isn’t quite the challenge that El Campeon can be. Cited by Golf for Women for its Top Fairways award, Las Colinas is player-friendly but still interesting throughout. The courses are similar in that both are par-72 layouts with one par-5 on front nine and three on the back.

The story of the Royal St. Cloud started ominously. The grand opening of the first 18 holes came two days before the horrendous 9-11 terrorist attack in 2001. That 18-hole course was known as the St. Cloud Golf Club and the designer was Chip Powell. Powell was a product of both Danville Community College and Illinois State University before starting his architectural business in Florida in the early 1980s.

Powell created the course for St. Cloud’s original owners, who sold it two years later. Then the Illinois influence became much stronger. A PGA professional for 24 years, Filson’s role at Royal St. Cloud is much broader than that of the usual GM.

First order of business when he arrived was rebuilding the original 18. Filson did that while working with Powell. Next came the addition of a new clubhouse, which opened in November of 2008. Blessed with plenty of open space for expansion, Butler and Filson didn’t see the need for a second 18-hole course but opted for a third nine. Filson, again working with Powell, designed it and they had it up and running in 2009.

Each of the nines is a par-36 and only 43 yards separates the shortest (on the White course) from the longest (on the Blue). The fairways are generous throughout but there are special touches. Each hole has a name, some examples being Wake Up, Mouse Trap, Nesse’s Back, Brent’s Bridge, Hookenfacher’s Nose, Gauntlet of Palms and Oliver’s Field. Their stories are told on unique signs, which provide reading material throughout the course.

There’s also the Deli Tele – authentic British shiny red phone booths that golfers can use to contact the clubhouse to place food orders.

“We believe in making our course second to none in the (Florida) public market,’’ said Filson. “We give prices that are significantly better than fair and we treat everybody exactly the same. The condition is always extremely good and we’re real friendly people.’’

GALENA, Illinois – Let’s make this perfectly clear. I’ve always enjoyed visiting Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa. I’ve been there many times – and for various reasons – over the last 35 years. It had been four years since my last visit, though, and this time things were different.

That’s different, as in better.

It all boils down to a series of developments starting in 2013 when Capital Crossing acquired the facility, which has long been the premier golf resort in a state that doesn’t have enough of them.

Capital Crossing brought in Texas-based Touchstone Golf to manage its 63 holes and Mount Prospect-based Bricton Group to manage the resort.

Touchstone manages courses in 10 states but Eagle Ridge is its only facility in the Midwest. The bulk of Touchstone’s 36 properties are in California (16) and Texas (7). Steve Harker, formerly with American Golf, started the company in 2005. His team now includes Mark Luthman who — as regional director of operations for Chicago-based KemperSports — was a leader in the planning, pre-opening and operations of Oregon’s Chambers Bay, site of the 2010 U.S. Amateur and 2015 U.S. Open. Luthman is Touchstone’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Bricton, a major hotel management group, is headed by president Ed Doherty – a former Evans Scholar. Touchstone and Bricton combined to form Brickstone, the firm that oversees Eagle Ridge’s total operation.

The first order of business was to address the shortcomings on the golf side. The resort’s website alludes to “renovation’’ work done on its three 18-holers – The General and the North and the South courses – as well as the nine-hole East course. That’s a bit misleading.

Renovations generally connote total revamping of a course and usually include design changes. That wasn’t needed at Eagle Ridge. All four courses were designed by one-time Chicago-based architect Roger Packard, with two-time U.S. Open champion Andy North helping out on The General – the showcase course. All four courses are blessed with the “wow factor’’ thanks largely to the elevation changes throughout the 6,800-acre property.

The North opened in 1977, the South in 1984, the East in 1991 and The General in 1997. I played in the grand opening outings at both the South and The General, so I can spot any changes in them and the East is a long-time favorite with its straight-down tee to green shot at the par-3 second hole. You don’t forget playing a hole like that one, just like you don’t forget teeing off at The General’s elevated No. 14 tee. There’s a 14-story drop to the fairway on that par-4.

Anyway, while Packard’s designs remained intact, the work done since Touchstone arrived has still been extensive.

“There wasn’t any construction on the fairways,’’ said Reagan Davis, the director of golf who came aboard in August of 2013. “Packard did a great job, but a lot of places were overgrown and a lot of the tees and landing areas were claustrophobic. The native areas were overgrown, and a lot of the trees weren’t trimmed. People would measure a round on The General by how many balls they lost.’’

Davis estimates that $700,000 was spent on cleaning up the courses, and I found The General and the North – the two that I played on my most recent visit — in the best condition they’ve ever been in.

“We went in and trimmed all the trees we could,’’ said Davis. “We pushed back the tee boxes and tried to make the courses like they were originally.’’

In the process playing experiences improved, especially on the super challenging General.

“It speeded up play,’’ said Davis. “We picked up 35 minutes of time (per round). On a busy day a round might have gone 5 hours 25 minutes before. Now it’s more like 4 hours 30 minutes, and rounds are rarely over 5 hours.

The General also got a new restaurant. “Spikes’’ is gone and has been replaced by WoodStones, which features a $30,000 oven that can cook a wood-fire pizza in four minutes. The restaurant is even featured on the more dramatic welcoming signs at the main entrance.

“We wanted something more for the community and not so much for the resort or the golfers,’’ said Davis. “We keep it open 10 months out of the year. It’s done well.’’

Davis’ arrival solved an immediate problem on the Eagle Ridge golf calendar. The Illinois PGA had pulled its final major tournament of the season out of the resort because it didn’t have a Class A professional. Losing its biggest tournament was not a good thing but Davis had been assistant professional at Camelback Inn and director of golf at Troon North – both upper echelon destinations in Arizona.

Thanks to his credentials – Davis is in his 25th year as a golf professional and his 20th as a PGA of America member — and enthusiasm, the Illinois PGA Players Championship returned to Eagle Ridge in 2015 after being played at Metamora Fields in 2013 and 2014. It’ll also be played at Eagle Ridge this fall and Davis sees it as back home for a much longer run.

Davis brings more to the table than that. His older brother Joe was a golf professional and that led to Davis developing connections with PGA Tour players.

Craig Perks, who once won The Players Championship, and Mike Heinen, a former champion at the Shell Houston Open, were college teammates at Southwestern Louisiana. Before playing collegiate golf Davis developed a long-time friendship with PGA Tour mainstays Jay and Lionel Hebert. That led to Davis becoming a collector of vintage clubs and other golf memorabilia, all of which is on display for those lucky enough to visit his bottom floor office at The General.

There has also been some notable additions on the golf side. Robbie Gould, a golf addict who doubles as a great kicker for the Bears, is now the resort’s golf ambassador. Gould hosted a clinic at the resort earlier in the spring and will don Eagle Ridge gear in his charity golf appearances throughout the summer.

There’s some other newcomers as well – 30 goats. They’ve been brought in to roam the steep slopes where mowing equipment can’t be used.

The Brickstone influence is evident beyond the golf side at Eagle Ridge. The lobby of the Eagle Ridge Inn has been completely renovated and upgrades have been made in the 200 homes on the property that are rented out. A room renovation, estimated to cost $2 million, is expected to begin this winter.

As for the charming little town of Galena just seven miles away, it hasn’t changed much — and that’s a good thing. The resort offers all sorts of activities beyond golf and Galena and its neighboring towns only enhance that vacation atmosphere.

The countdown is on for the opening of one of the most talked-about American courses in years.

Forest Dunes, in Roscommon, Mich., has long featured one of the most popular 18-holers in the Midwest – a Tom Weiskopf design consistently ranked among the best public layouts in the state.

Now the Weiskopf design will have one (or two, depending on how you look at it) partner course beginning on June 27. That’s when architect Tom Doak unveils The Loop – an innovative reversible design.

The Loop uses the same 18 greens and fairways. When it’s played in the clock-wise direction it’s the Black course. When it’s played counter-clockwise it’s the Red course. I walked it last summer when it was under construction and found the concept fascinating but difficult to comprehend.

“Everyone’s over-thinking it,’’ Forest Dunes general manager Todd Campbell said then. Once the course is in operation the “over-thinking’’ should be over.

Not only will Forest Dunes be adding a new course(s), but it has also made a dramatic addition to its teaching side. The Rick Smith Golf Academy has moved there. Smith, a world-renowned swing guru who has worked with many of the game’s top stars, and his long-time associate Henry Young made the move to Forest Dunes.

“It’ll be the most talked about golf destination in the country over the next five-10 years,’’ Smith predicted.

Crosby, Haynie to join Legends’ Hall

Indiana’s French Lick Resort will welcome the fourth induction class into its LPGA Legends Hall of Fame during Legends Championship festivities Aug. 18-21. The new inductees will be Elaine Crosby and Sandra Haynie.

French Lick established the Hall when it created the Legends Championship, and its members are honored in an exhibit at the West Baden Springs Hotel. Previous inductees were Jan Stephenson and Kathy Whitworth in 2013, Nancy Lopez and Jane Blalock in 2014 and Joanne Carner and Rosie Jones in 2015.

Prior to her induction Crosby will host the 16th Wendy’s Classic Pro-Am on Aug. 15 at Country Club of Jackson in Michigan.

Nicklaus Nine is a milestone

Jack Nicklaus started designing courses in 1969 and he’s now created 400 of them, the latest being a special one that just opening near Tacoma, Wash.

This one is called the Nicklaus Nine and it doubled the size of the unique course designed specifically for facilitating the rehabilitation of wounded and disabled veterans. Nicklaus donated his services on the project, which is part of American Lake Veterans Golf Club.

No kidding

Nearly 50 of the courses in Myrtle Beach, S.C., are participating in a Kids Play Free program that allows those 16 and under to play free when accompanied by a paying adult. It’s been one of the game’s most effective grow the game initiatives and participating courses include some of Myrtle Beach’s best. That group includes Glen Dornock, Grande Dunes, King’s North, River’s Edge and Tidewater.

Purdue course ready to re-open

The Bierk Boilermaker Golf Complex, in West Lafayette, Ind., is about to open its first course again. Pete Dye handled a renovation of the layout on which Jack Nicklaus won his lone NCAA individual title in 1961. Following the renovation the layout has been renamed the Ackerman-Allen Course. It will have a formal opening on June 21.

Ackerman-Allen will become part of the Pete Dye Golf Trail, along with its partner course Kampen.

Big shot possibilities

Old Kinderhook, in Camdenton, Mo., is conducting the “$1,000,000 Shot’’ throughout this summer. For $5 players can enter on the par-3 third hole. Hit the green and they win a sleeve of balls.

Those qualifiers can return on Sept. 2 for the chance to win the big prize in a $1 million shootout.

Housing boom

The grand opening of the Enclave neighborhood at Harbor Shores, in Michigan, was held on Friday and will continue through Sunday. The Enclose is the sixth neighborhood to open at Harbor Shores in six years. It borders the No. 6 fairway of the Nicklaus-designed course that is the frequent host of the Senior PGA Championship.

ACME, Michigan – The structural changes at Grand Traverse were made last year when owners of the 30-year old resort spent $7 million to renovate the tower that is the facility’s centerpiece.

Grand Traverse has three courses on its 1,400 acres and the resort features 660 rooms, diverse restaurants and lounges and 49,000 square feet of dedicated meeting space, unique shops, health club and spa, children’s center and beach club. Last year’s upgrades were – most understandingly – very well received and they’ll keep Grand Traverse in the forefront of U.S. golf destinations for many years to come.

That was last year, this is now.

This year’s big change came in personnel, and it’s a most interesting one. During the winter Scott Hebert, the resort’s director of instruction and head golf professional the previous nine years, opted to move to Traverse City Country Club.

His replacement in both roles is Mark Hill, and his background is much different than Hebert’s. Hebert’s playing record is outstanding. He won the Michigan Open six times and captured the PGA Professional National Championship in 2008 at Reynolds Plantation, in Georgia.

Hill’s strong point is on the teaching side, and that’s a big factor in the new approach to instruction at Grand Traverse.

“We don’t even offer golf schools anymore,’’ said Hill. “People don’t have time to go to three- or four-day golf schools. I’m old school. I really get into playing lessons.’’

In short, Hill is a and one-on-one guy teaching-wise.

Grand Traverse had, for many years, been the Midwest resort home of the high profile Jim McLean Golf School. It’s no longer there, but the indoor and outdoor practice facilities are still busy places.

“The days of golf schools are done,’’ said Hill. “People get in a rut hitting on the range. I see them going backward instead of forward.’’

Hill, like Hebert, is a product of the golf management program at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich. Hill has been a PGA member for over 30 years, all of them spent at courses in northern Michigan. He bought one of them, Twin Birch in nearby Kalkaska, in 1999 and enjoyed two successful years before economic downturns in the area led to him selling it.

“I got a little burned out on golf and went outside into teaching,’’ he said. He started working with children with special needs during the school year and kept involved with golf by giving lessons in the summer months at Grand Traverse.

“I absolutely loved working as a teacher’s assistant in the special education room for five years,’’ he said, “and – by working here in the summer months – I had the best of both worlds.’’

When Hebert left in February the job was offered to Hill. He took it and added Shane Hollinsworth as an assistant to go along with Randy Ernst, who was on staff last year. They’re working with director of golf operations Tom McGee and have the luxury of using three quality 18-holers – the Jack Nicklaus-designed Bear, the Gary Player-designed Wolverine and Spruce Run, the original course on the property designed by Bill Newcomb.

The courses offer lots of opportunities for Hill and his staff to give playing lessons. Hill offers them over both nine and 18 holes.

“It’s a great opportunity for me,’’ he said. “We’ve got our Golf Academy going gangbusters. The feedback I’ve been getting has all been thumbs up.’’

Grand Traverse has a double-ended outdoor range and the indoor facility has three hitting bays, a video room and club-fitting equipment. There’s also a putting green that will be expanded in time for next winter’s programs.