A statue of course architect and namesake Pete Dye will greet members of the LPGA Legends Tour when they compete in their biggest tournament this week.
FRENCH LICK, Ind. – The Legends Championship, which made its debut on the Pete Dye Course here last year, is bigger and better for its second staging. It begins on Friday as the climax to a week of festivities designed to celebrate women’s golf.
The two-day Alice Dye Invitational drew 112 amateur players from throughout the Midwest on Monday and Tuesday, with competition on both the Pete Dye and Donald Ross courses. The Legends day-long clinic on Wednesday drew 58 amateur participants and Thursday’s pro-am will be packed with 195 players.
Sponsorship has also increased significantly.
“This is one of many big events we’ve hosted at French Lick,’’ said director of golf Dave Harner. “We’re rapidly becoming known as a destination for championship golf.’’
Prior to the start of the competition on Friday there’ll be an induction ceremony for the Legends Hall of Fame, which was created for the inaugural event last year. Jan Stephenson and Kathy Whitworth were the first inductees and Mickey Wright, Betsy Rawls, Louise Suggs and Alice Dye were also honored with membership. Wright, Rawls and Suggs won previous LPGA tournaments played at French Lick in the 1950s.
This time, following the induction of Nancy Lopez and Legends co-founder Jane Blalock, there’ll be a ribbon-cutting to open the Legends Hall of Fame at the West Baden Springs Hotel.
The Legends Championship is the only 54-hole event on the 14-year old circuit, but the last three events have all gone beyond regulation.
In May Liselotte Neumann won the Walgreen’s Charity Classic in Arizona in a playoff with Danielle Ammaccapane. In June Barb Moxness won the Judson College & Legends Pro-Am Challenge in Georgia in a playoff with Alicia Dibos.
The Legends Championship was immediately preceded by the Wendy’s Championship Challenge in Michigan, and Rosie Jones defeated Nancy Scranton in a playoff there. It was Jones’ seven win on the Legends circuit and she’s also in the field here.
Canadian Lorie Kane was the first winner of the Legends Championship, and she’ll defend her title. The inaugural Legends Championship was held in late September and finished in cold, rainy weather. Kane posted a 3-under-par 213 total to win by two strokes over Laurie Rinker and Val Skinner on the rugged but spectacular Dye layout.
“Being the inaugural winner was a thrill, but I’m looking forward to playing the course earlier in the summer, compared to last year,’’ said Kane, who earned $60,000 for her victory. This year she’ll be part of a 60-player field that will battle for the biggest purse on the Legends Tour — $500,000.
The tourney also includes a 36-hole Super Seniors Division on Saturday and Sunday. Blalock won that category, for players 63 and over, last year with a 5-over-par 149 total. The tourney will benefit the Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health Foundation.
The LPGA’s first International Crown competition ended less than a week ago and already preparations are well underway for the second staging, in July of 2016 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove.
Rich Harvest owner Jerry Rich, LPGA star Anna Nordquist from Sweden and LPGA commissioner Mike Whan (left to right) hosted a Launch Party on Friday at Naperville’s Hotel Arista for the next eight-country, 32-player competition two years down the road. The first version was won by Spain at Caves Valley in Maryland. The Rich Harvest version falls a month before golf’s return to the Olympics in Brazil.
“I love the Olympics, but we’ll give the world what the Olympics won’t,’’ said Whan, who grew up in Naperville. “The Olympics won’t give us team dynamics.’’
The International Crown certainly did at Caves Valley. The top two seeded teams, the U.S. and Korea, met in a do-or-die playoff for the fifth and last spot in the finals, Korea winning. The disappointing showing by Team USA didn’t hurt world-wide viewership.
“There were 167 countries watching, ‘’ reported Whan, “and our Saturday TV viewership was 82 percent of the number at our last Solheim Cup.’’
For a first-year event, that was deemed outstanding, and Whan added that “over 5,000 articles were written about the International Crown in Korea alone.’’
Rich hosted the most successful Solheim Cup, a U.S. win over Europe in 2009. He and Whan started plans for creation of International Crown a few weeks later at Rich Harvest. A creative dessert topped off the festivities at the International Crown Launch Party.
“Chicago’s the greatest place in the world if you love golf,’’ said Rich. “People really turned out in 2009, and we’ve been working for over two years on the next International Crown.’’
A big part of that work has been in the recruitment of high school golfers. Rich invited every girls team in Illinois to the 2009 Solheim Cup. For the International Crown he’s invited over 1,800 teams from Illinois and neighboring states. They’ll be housed at Northern Illinois University and Aurora University during the matches.
Whan also announced the first two Ambassador Sponsors for 2016, Rolex and Calamos Investments. The first Crown had five corporate sponsors. More will be coming.
“Jerry’s going to make it huge,’’ said Whan. “Rich Harvest is one of the top 10 golf venues in the world. I can’t think of any that can match Rich Harvest for ambiance, specialness and theater.’’
Bet you never thought of Iowa as a golf destination, did you? Well, maybe you should.
At least visits to two courses – Spirit Hollow in Burlington and Amana Colonies Golf Club in Middle Amana — during John Deere Classic week suggested that Iowa has plenty to offer golf-wise.
The Amana Colonies layout is the older of the two courses. It was opened in 1989, but the area near Cedar Rapids and the University of Iowa in Iowa City already had a reputation in golf before that. The Amana VIP tournament, which ran from 1967-90, was created by George Foerstner, founder of Amana Refrigeration, and Julius Boros, a long-time PGA Tour player who won the 1952 and 1963 U.S. Opens and the 1968 PGA Championship. The Amana Colonies course was challenging, but a most welcoming, place.
Their long-popular event was a forerunner to the celebrity events put on today. Bob Goalby, the former Masters champion, called it “the Masters of the Pro-Ams’’ and all the top players of that era – from Lee Trevino to Fuzzy Zoeller to Tom Watson – played in it at one time or another. So did celebs like ex-President Gerald Ford, Mike Ditka, Flip Wilson and Joe DiMaggio.
That event wasn’t held at Amana Colonies Golf Club. It opened one year before the last Amana VIP tourney was held at the University of Iowa’s Finkbine course.
Amana Colonies hasn’t had an event that big, but the 6,824-yard par-72 layout designed by William Spear on a 600-acre plot has long been considered one of Iowa’s best public facilities. Some may find the number of blind shots on the hilly layout excessive but the course has some beautiful views and successfully walks the fine line of being both fun and challenging.
Unlike Spirit Hollow, Amana Colonies is a more finished project. It also includes lodging at Colony Oaks condominiums, where stay-and-play packages for one to eight guests are available adjacent to the course. The Colonies – there’s seven of them that date back to 1855 – also are a National Historic Landmark. They attract visitors, golfers and non-golfers alike, all year long.
Spirit Hollow, though, is where exciting new things are happening now. The Amana Colonies clubhouse makes for a nice finishing hole on a course with plenty of elevation changes.
The course, designed by Libertville architect Rick Jacobson, opened in 2000. It’s been a busy place that will soon get busier.
Spirit Hollow hosted the Iowa Amateur in 2000 and 2012 and was the site of the last men’s National Junior College Athletic Assn. Division I championship. It’ll host the GolfWeek Challenge, which draws 15 of the top college teams, in September. Those are big events in a town of 30,000 residents that isn’t close to a bigger city. (The Quad Cities are a 75-minute drive away and Western Illinois University is the closest big college).
Burlington businessman Randy Winegard has done wonderful things with Spirit Hollow and more will become self-evident soon. Eight lodge rooms are under construction, so – possibly as soon as August – Spirit Hollow will be able to offer exclusive stay-and-play packages on the premises.
“It’ll make you feel like you’re staying at your own lodge,’’ said head professional Erin Strieck, who knows her way around the Illinois-Iowa golf scene. She held a similar job at Eagle Ridge in Galena, Ill., for 15 years and then spent two more at Fyre Lake, a Nicklaus Design Group project now operating in Sherrard, Ill.
Lodging isn’t all that’s coming in what will end up as about a $1 million renovation. There’ll also be a new bar and grill in the clubhouse and a stand-alone pavilion will be constructed near the driving range to host outings and other big events. Oh, deer! It’s always interesting to get some unexpected visitors in the middle of a round. This was our onlooker at Amana.
Spirit Hollow already has other entertainment options available. Winegard owns the Catfish Bend Inn, which is four miles away. It has a casino, water park and two restaurants and is a good place for adult get-aways, business gatherings and family vacations. And now the golf alternative – already quite good – is getting a boost.
“We’re lucky to have an owner who wants to take Spirit Hollow to the next level in achieving excellence,’’ said Strieck. “Our ultimate goal is Top 100 (in the various course ratings) and No. 1 in Iowa. With the addition of the lodging rooms, and as the place matures, that’s definitely without our reach.’’
More about the course facilities. Spirit Hollow may be the best buy in the Midwest now — $35 for seniors with cart included seven days a week. The clubhouse has an indoor hitting facility that allows for winter practice, and having music playing on a big practice range offers a nice, somewhat unusual twist.
Jacobson, who got his start in golf architecture working for Jack Nicklaus, formed his own company in 1991. He’s done a lot of work in China lately, but his creations in the Chicago area include two real good ones – Strawberry Creek in Kenosha and Bowes Creek in Elgin. Spirit Hollow ranks at least on par with those. He’s also done renovation work at such quality places as Kemper Lakes, North Shore, Bob O’Link, Oak Park, Cantigny and Sunset Ridge. That should speak volumes about what you can expect if you visit Spirit Hollow.
The staff there is also notable. In addition to Strieck, the superintendent is Jim Wyffels. He was superintendent at The General at Eagle Ridge before moving on to Fyre Lake and then Spirit Hollow.
There are lots of good holes at Spirit Hollow. You don’t forget No. 6, a 445-yard par-4 where some extremely realistic-looking “wolves’’ serve as decoys to keep geese off the green and away from the pond that fronts the putting surface.
None of the holes, however, are more memorable than No. 9 – a short dogleg right par-4. A stream runs in front of the long, elevated green and a waterfall – though not really in play – provides an added attraction. Play the hole from the right tee – 266 yards from the front one, or longer tests from 321, 365 or 410 yards — and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a challenge as much fun as this one.
The first International Crown concludes Sunday at Caves Valley, in Owings Mills, Md., but a Saturday gathering that wasn’t held anywhere near the course will have a more direct bearing on how the event plays out at Rich Harvest Farms in 2016.
Jerry Rich, in the forefront during the Crown’s creation, hosted a Watch Party for nearly 200 members of Chicago’s Asian community at The Stonegate in Hoffman Estates. Big-screen televisions flanked both sides of the speakers’ podium, ethnic food and beverages were offered and Crown memorabilia was available.
Rich and his staff hosted smaller gatherings for other ethnic groups in the days leading up to the inaugural staging of the global team competition, but Saturday’s was the big event that Rich most wanted.
Among those attending were Chunho Park, senior reporter for The Korea Daily of Chicago, and Kay Kihwa Rho, president of IOTRIO, an Asian education group. Chunho Park and I found out that we live just a few blocks from each other. What a small world we live in, and just one aspect of the International Crown is that it will bring people from different parts of the world together for a positive experience. Chunho Park (left) and Kay Kihwa Rho were among the key members of Chicago’s Asian community in attendance at the International Crown Watch Party.
Another factor is the economic impact it is certain to have in Chicago. Mayor Rahm Emanuel has told Rich that the International Crown “is the Olympics we didn’t get.’’
The International Crown at Rich Harvest will be played a month before golf is restored to the Olympic Games in Brazil. It will be a big deal, especially if Rich’s efforts to stir interest in Chicago’s various ethnic communities is successful.
“The people we have here at this Watch Party will really make that event successful,’’ Rich predicted. “We need the various (ethnicities) on the golf course cheering for their countries. That’ll create excitement and let this tournament grow for the next 50 or 60 years.’’
Rich has no doubt that’ll happen (neither do I, for that matter). He has called the Crown “my legacy’’ and likens it to Bobby Jones’ creation of the men’s Masters tournament 50 years ago. Jerry Rich, flanked by communications manager Samantha Rubin, addressed the Watch Party gathering while the International Crown telecast was in progress.
“We look at the International Crown as being as successful for women as the Masters was for the men,’’ said Rich.
The very successful Solheim Cup, staged at Rich Harvest in 2009, was barely over when Rich welcomed LPGA commissioner Mike Whan to his Sugar Grove headquarters. Rich told Whan: “You have the greatest product in the world, and you’re not marketing it properly.’’ (No argument from me on that one, either).
Women’s golf is more global than the men’s game, and the best women players aren’t Americans or Europeans. They needed a unique event like the International Crown.
“Of the top 100 players 60 percent are from Asia,’’ said Rich. “The best players in women’s golf are from Asia. We’ve found, in working with these ethnic groups, that they love golf but don’t know who the best players are. The Japan people, for instance, didn’t know the best players from Taiwan or Korea. This will really be something different for them.’’ The well-decorated bar added to the festive atmosphere at the International Crown Watch Party.
Rich left Caves Valley at the midway point of the first International Crown because of the importance he felt Saturday’s Watch Party merited. He described what he saw at Caves Valley as “absolutely terrific,’’ though there were some understandable snags in a first-time event. Attendance – he estimated it at about 15,000 per day – didn’t approach the 120,000 who showed up for Rich Harvest’s Solheim Cup.
While Caves Valley looked great on television, it wasn’t as fan-friendly as Rich Harvest will be. The steep hills at Caves Valley made spectator traffic difficult but, again, the first staging of the Crown was deemed an overall success.
“If I was disappointed about anything, it was that they didn’t energize the youth at all,’’ said Rich. “We are really going to do that (at Rich Harvest). High school girls will bring energy to the tournament.’’
Only seven players have won titles in both the Illinois State Amateur, which has been played for 84 years, and the Illinois Open, which just completed its 65th staging.
Brad Hopfinger, a Lake Forest resident who attended the University of Iowa before turning pro, was the latest and he joined a selected group – David Ogrin, Gary Hallberg, Bill Hoffer, Gary Pinns, Mark Hensby and Roy Biancalana.
Of those only Hoffer played at least briefly on the PGA Tour, and Ogrin, Hallberg and Hensby were champions on golf’s premier circuit. Three birdies in the first five holes helped Brad Hopfinger join some select company in Illinois golf. (Photo courtesy of Mike Schoaf, Illinois PGA.
Hopfinger, 25, hopes to get there eventually, but for now he’s just happy to be carrying on the extraordinary success by players from his school in Illinois’ biggest tournaments. The 2011 Illinois State Amateur winner at Glen Oak in Glen Ellyn, Hopfinger entered the final round of the Illinois Open as only an after-thought among the Hawkeyes.
Brian Bullington, an Iowa senior from Frankfort, was the 36-hole leader in the 54-hole competition and Iowa freshman-to-be Ray Knoll, from Naperville, was coming off a rousing two weeks in which he qualified for the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic and won the Illinois State Amateur at Cantigny in Wheaton.
Hopfinger held off Medinah teaching pro Travis Johns to win the biggest tournament of the year for Illinois residents. Finishing the 54-hole competition with a 71 in winds that gusted up to 28 miles per hour, Hopfinger posted a 6-under-par 210 to claim a $13,500 first prize. He’s competed primarily on the new PGA Latinoamerica Tour this year but took a break to play in his state Open after tying for fourth in the tournament in 2013.
Iowa teammate Vince India preceded Hopfinger as champion of the 2010 Illinois State Amateur and is now on the Web.com Tour. Knoll and Bullington were both finalists in the latest Illinois Open but wilted in the final 18.
Hopfinger, who graduated from Lake Forest High School, started his collegiate career at Kansas before heading to Iowa. Now 25, he had only one serious challenger after a fast start in which he made three birdies in the first five holes.
Johns, who began the day one stroke behind Bullington, was in the last threesome and Hopfinger was in one group in front.
They were tied through 16 holes and Hopfinger had a 5-footer for birdie at the par-3 17th to take the lead. He missed, but Johns made bogey playing in the group behind him. Then Johns’ errant drive on the par-5 18th turned into a lost ball.
Hopfinger caught a plugged lie in a green-side bunker at No. 18 and didn’t know about Johns’ dilemma until after he two-putted from 35 feet for bogey. Johns wound up making bogey, too, so Hopfinger still came out on top.
“I knew I was in a tough spot,’’ said Hopfinger, “but those last two holes were into the wind and they were just hard holes.’’
Johns, who finished one stroke back, lost his hat on his wild drive at the 18th and almost holed his chip shot for the par that would have forced a playoff.
“I was hitting it everywhere on the back nine, and it was entertaining – just like Phil Mickelson,’’ said Johns. “I went down in style, though.’’
Roselle’s Dan Stringfellow shared low amateur honors with Flossmoor’s Brian Payne. Payne, a former Illinois Open winner, is a reinstated amateur. He had turned pro after completing his collegiate career at Northwestern.
University of Iowa golfers have won three of the last five Illinois State Amateur golf titles. Now another Hawkeye is poised to claim the Illinois Open crown.
Brian Bullington, a Frankfort resident who will be a senior at Iowa in the fall, coped with windy conditions at The Glen Club in Glenview on Tuesday to claim the 36-hole lead. His second-round 67 gave Bullington a 7-under-par 137 total for the first two rounds. He’s one stroke ahead of Medinah teaching pro Travis Johns. Brian Bullington would like to follow Iowa teammate Ray Knoll in winning a big Illinois tournament. (Photos courtesy of Mike Schoaf, Illinois PGA)
Johns and Illinois men’s coach Mike Small shot 66s, the low round of the day, but Small – seeking a record-tying fifth Illinois Open title – is six strokes off the pace entering Wednesday’s final round.
Both Bullington and Johns made eagle on the downwind 578-yard par-5 18th hole to get their spots atop the leaderboard. Bullington used a 7-iron for his second shot, then holed a tricky eight-foot downhill putt. Johns connected from 20 feet, his third putt from that distance in his last six holes.
“Every day I set a number and hit it,’’ said Bullington. “The number for tomorrow? Just one that’s good enough.’’ Medinah teaching pro Travis Johns matched Brian Bullington’s eagle on the last hole of the second round.
Bullington, who got his round going with a 35-footer at No. 11, is in the final round of the Illinois Open for the third time in as many tries. He finished back in the pack the first two times, but Bullington could find that three’s a charm.
He’s had a decent summer, having qualified for the final U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and reaching the match play portion of the Chicago District Amateur. Getting the big win, however, has eluded him.
His Iowa teammate, incoming freshman Ray Knoll of Naperville, has had better luck. He qualified for the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic and won the Illinois State Amateur last week at Cantigny in Wheaton. Iowa golfers Vince India and Brad Hopfinger won that title in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
Hopfinger and Knoll are also in the hunt in this Illinois Open, standing in a tie for third and a tie for ninth, respectively.
Johns could make a big climb in the Illinois PGA Player-of-the-Year race with a good showing on Wednesday. He was the runner-up in the section’s first major tourney of the year, the IPGA Match Play Championship, after losing the final to two-time player-of-the-year Curtis Malm, the head pro at White Eagle in Naperville.
Malm has led the standings throughout this season but had a disappointing Illinois Open, shooting 79-76 to miss the cut.
Monday’s first round of the 65th Illinois Open was full of surprises, the most notable of which was provided by Michael Davan.
Davan, from downstate Hoopeston turned pro after playing collegiately at Indiana-Purdue Indianapolis. Starting late in the day he shot a 6-under-par 66 to take a one-stroke lead into Tuesday’s second round at The Glen Club in Glenview. Starting his round at No. 10, Davan made five birdies in a six-hole stretch at the end of his first nine. First-round leader Michael Davan had no trouble in his return to the Illinois Open after a tough finish in 2013. (Photo courtesy of Mike Schoaf, Illinois PGA)
That was an indication he put last year’s Illinois Open nightmare behind him. Davan took a one-stroke lead into the final hole before a water ball led to a double bogey.
In Monday’s round he lost a playing partner when Wheaton’s Tee-k Kelly, winner of the 2013 Illinois State Amateur, was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital after complaining of dehydration. Kelly returned to the course late in the day after undergoing treatment.
While Davan was the first-round’s hottest player two of the more established professionals struggled mightily. Mike Small, the University of Illinois men’s coach, shot 77 and Curtis Malm, the Illinois PGA Player-of-the-Year the last two seasons and now head at White Eagle in Naperville, shot 79. Both will have to improve to survive the cut after today’s round. The low 50 and ties advance to Wednesday’s final 18.
Small, a four-time champion in the event, had some consolation in that one of his Illini players was just one shot off the first-round lead. Alex Burge, a senior from Bloomington, made four birdies in his first five holes en route to posting a 5-under-par 67. Burge is one of a record 81 amateurs in the 156-player field.
Shot of the day was Steve Orrick’s 7-iron on the 193-yard 17th hole. It dropped for a hole-in-one, but Orrick, the head pro at Country Club of Decatur, settled for a 3-over 75.
Defending champion Joe Kinney, of Antioch, opened with a 71 and is one stroke better than two other recent winners, Wilmette’s Eric Meierdireks (2011) and Chicago’s Max Scodro (2012).
Naperville’s Ray Knoll, soon to be a freshman at the University of Iowa, followed his victory in last week’s Illinois State Amateur at Cantigny in Wheaton with a 74.
GREEN LAKE, Wis. — Shame on me. This golf writer of nearly 50 years didn’t know nearly enough about the work of William Langford until playing in last week’s Langford Shield outing at The Links of Lawsonia.
The course got its name from the legendary newspaperman Victor Lawson. He was the publisher of the Chicago Daily News prior to his death in 1925, and The Links of Lawsonia was built on a three-hour drive from Chicago near the small college town of Ripon. There’s reportedly a boxcar under the No. 7 green at The Links of Lawsonia. The elevation it created makes for a most interesting par-3.
Langford was a Chicago golf architect and very prominent in his profession. He and partner Theodore Moreau were the course designers. The Links of Lawsonia course didn’t open until 1930, and it has had a partner course, Woodlands, since 1985. It was designed by Rocky Roquemore, who participated in the design of Cog Hill’s Dubsdread course in Lemont.
The Langford Shield outing was created by newly-named management company Oliphant Golf to celebrate the opening of the new Langford Pub and underscore the work that Langford did as a course architect. He worked on over 200 courses nation-wide.
Big-Three golf website partner Rory Spears and I were only middle-of-the-pack in the inaugural playing of the Langford Shield, a two-man team event that is expected by be held annually, but the experience was first-rate. Lawsonia had been long-recommended, but last weekend was my first visit there.
Gary D’Amato, long-time friend and well-respected golf writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, calls it “one of the top five courses in Wisconsin.’’ That’s saying a lot, given all the positive developments going on in Wisconsin in recent years.
Lawsonia isn’t one of those new developments, but it has had a most interesting history. It was eventually purchased by the American Baptist Assembly and was closed in the 1940s so the property could be used to house German war prisoners. Langford Shield partner Rory Spears (left) and I got a look at the original course design when Langford’s Pub opened.
From the golf side, though, this course is a real treat. I learned that most of the holes were built as replicas of holes in Scotland and the par-3 seventh apparently has a boxcar buried underneath it to create its extraordinary elevation. There may also be a boxcar under the practice range.
At any rate, Langford’s reputation alone merits a visit to Lawsonia. He was long based in Chicago and his works there include Barrington Hills, Bryn Mawr, Butterfield, Glen Oak, Park Ridge, Ruth Lake, Westmoreland and Skokie. At the outing, though, I learned that he had a special fondness for public golf and many believe The Links at Lawsonia is his best work in an extraordinary career.
Oliphant Golf, formed in 1996 and based in Scottsdale, Ariz., has done over 150 construction and renovation projects, but hasn’t been all that active in the Midwest. Ten of its projects, none in Wisconsin or Illinois, were honored in Golf Digest’s rating categories.
BURLINGTON, Iowa –I guess I’ll always be looking for golf’s so-called `hidden gems’ – great courses that are off the beaten path.
Too often, though, I find that these courses are more hidden than they are gems. That’s not true when it comes to Spirit Hollow, though. This is a true hidden gem in an Iowa town of about 30,000 that is just a few miles over the Illinois border. I’d heard good things about it for years and finally paid a visit during July’s John Deere Classic week.
Designed by Libertville architect Rick Jacobson, Spirit Hollow opened in 2000. It’s been a busy place that will soon get busier. Eventually, I suspect, it might even get knocked off the `hidden gem’ list. Head professional Erin Strieck worked at Eagle Ridge and Fyre Lake before enjoying the views at Spirit Hollow.
Already Spirit Hollow hosted the Iowa Amateur in 2000 and 2012 and was the site of the last men’s National Junior College Athletic Assn. Division I championship. It’ll host the GolfWeek Challenge, which draws 15 of the top college teams, in September. Those are big events in a town that isn’t close to a bigger city. (The Quad Cities, when the PGA Tour’s JDC is played annually, are a 75-minute drive away and Western Illinois University is the closest big college).
Burlington businessman Randy Winegard has done wonderful things with Spirit Hollow and more will become self-evident soon. Eight lodge rooms are under construction, so – possibly as soon as August – Spirit Hollow will be able to offer exclusive stay-and-play packages on the premises.
“It’ll make you feel like you’re staying at your own lodge,’’ said head professional Erin Strieck, who knows her way around the Illinois-Iowa golf scene. She held a similar job at Eagle Ridge in Galena, Ill., for 15 years and then spent two more at Fyre Lake, a Nicklaus Design Group project now operating in Sherrard, Ill. The Spirit Hollow clubhouse is in the midst of a major renovation.
Lodging isn’t all that’s coming in what will end up as about a $1 million renovation. There’ll also be a new bar and grill in the clubhouse and a stand-alone pavilion will be constructed near the driving range to host outings and other big events.
Spirit Hollow already has other entertainment options available to its visitors. The Catfish Bend Inn, four miles away, has a casino, water park and two restaurants and is a good place for adult get-aways, business gatherings and family vacations. And now the golf alternative – already quite good – is getting a boost. Does this fake wolf scare you? It apparently keeps the geese away from Spirit Hollow’s No. 6 hole.
“We’re lucky to have an owner who wants to take Spirit Hollow to the next level in achieving excellence,’’ said Strieck. “Our ultimate goal is Top 100 (in the various course ratings) and No. 1 in Iowa. With the addition of the lodging rooms, and as the place matures, that’s definitely within our reach.’’
I don’t doubt that for a minute, but more about the course facilities. Spirit Hollow may be the best buy in the Midwest now — $35 for seniors with cart included seven days a week. The clubhouse has an indoor hitting facility that allows for winter practice, and having music playing on a big practice range offers a nice, somewhat unusual twist. Finding your way to the No. 9 green isn’t easy. This great par-4 is my favorite hole at Spirit Hollow.
Jacobson, who got his start in golf architecture working for Jack Nicklaus, formed his own company in 1991. He’s done a lot of work in China lately, but his creations in the Chicago area include two real good ones – Strawberry Creek in Kenosha and Bowes Creek in Elgin. Spirit Hollow ranks at least on par with those. He’s also done renovation work at such quality places as Kemper Lakes, North Shore, Bob O’Link, Oak Park, Cantigny and Sunset Ridge. That should speak volumes about what you can expect if you visit Spirit Hollow.
The staff there is also notable. In addition to Strieck, the general manager is Jim Wyffels. He was superintendent at The General at Eagle Ridge before moving on to Fyre Lake and then Spirit Hollow.
There are lots of good holes at Spirit Hollow. You don’t forget No. 6, a 445-yard par-4 where some extremely realistic-looking “wolves’’ serve as decoys to keep geese off the green and away from the pond that fronts the putting surface.
None of the holes, however, are more memorable than No. 9 – a short dogleg right par-4. A stream runs in front of the long, elevated green and a waterfall – though not really in play – provides an added attraction. Play the hole from the right tee – 266 yards from the front one, or longer tests from 321, 365 or 410 yards — and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a challenge as much fun as this one.
Sooner rather than later one of Tiger Woods’ longest-standing course records will be broken. I suspect it won’t take long. Curtis Malm just needs to find someone willing to play the championship tees with him at White Eagle Golf Club.
No one plays back there these days on White Eagle’s Red-White rotation of nines that comprise its championship course. (Another course record of 64 was set by member Ron Potter in 1998 using the regular tees).
Woods was still an amateur in the mid-1990s when he shot 4-under-par 68 while in town to play in the Western Open. Malm, the Illinois PGA Player-of-the-Year the last two seasons, became White Eagle’s head professional last winter and certainly has the game to take Woods’ name off the record books – and you can be sure he’ll be trying to do just that.
White Eagle players face a shot towards the clubhouse to finish their rounds.In the meantime, White Eagle is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. It’s a vibrant private club located in Naperville on the Aurora border that has a tournament history that shouldn’t be forgotten.
The club was created amidst cornfields for its opening in 1989. Just three years later its Red-White nines were used for the LPGA Chicago Sun-Times Shootout. The tourney was first held the year before at Oak Brook Golf Club, when Martha Nause produced one of the greatest finishes in LPGA history to win the title.
Nause finished birdie-birdie-birdie-eagle, holing out from the fairway on the last hole to beat Kris Monaghan by one stroke in the LPGA’s first return to Chicago in 18 years. The LPGA had a Chicago stop in its first season of 1950, but was a very sporadic visitor after that. Though the U.S. Women’s Open was played at LaGrange Country Club in 1974 and 1981, the last LPGA Tour stop before the Sun-Times Shootout was in 1973 – the Child & Family Service Open at Midlane, in Wadsworth.
As exciting as Nause’s win at Oak Brook was, the tourney profile was definitely elevated by the move to White Eagle – the first Arnold Palmer-designed course in Illinois.
White Eagle hosted in 1992, when Dottie Mochrie won the title. (She was married then, but later assumed her maiden name of Pepper and went on to a career as a top TV golf analyst).
The Sun-Times’ role as title sponsor ended after the 1993 tourney, won by a relative unknown in Cindy Schreyer, and Peter Fleming – best known as John McEnroe’s doubles partner on the tennis circuit – was the leader in keeping the event alive in 1994. The tourney was renamed the Chicago Challenge, and Jane Geddes was the champion.
Sponsorship was hard to come by after that, but the successful three-year run at White Eagle led to Chicago getting the U.S. Women’s Open again in 2000 (Karrie Wood winning at the Merit Club in Libertyville) and another LPGA Tour stop. The Kellogg-Keebler Classic was played at Stonebridge, in Aurora, from 2002-04 and it had high-profile champions in Annika Sorenstam (2002, 2003) and Webb (2004).
White Eagle hasn’t needed big tournaments to thrive since then. It added its Blue nine in 1996, making it one of the few private facilities in Chicago with more than 18 holes. A few years ago a golf simulator was added for use in the winter. The club has 75 players in its busy junior program, a caddie program that employs 40-45 youngsters, clay courts for tennis buffs and a swimming program that has participants from beyond the club membership.
The Chicago District Golf Association’s Sunshine Through Golf program also is a six-week visitor during the summer and the club hosts about 80 weddings and 20 corporate outings each year.
Malm’s arrival suggests a significant competitive event might be in the club’s future again, but only time will tell. For now club leadership is planning a renovation process that will strictly focus on enhancing the golf experiences for its members and guests. Part of the 25th anniversary celebration included an outing that featured Greg Huigens (photo below at right), who was both the men’s champion and men’s senior champion at White Eagle in 2013. Joining us the the celebration outing are Chicagoland Golf publisher Val Russell (left) and club historian Chip Wagner (second from left).
