Add Kentucky to the states that now have a golf trail.
Bob Baldassari ended a long run in Florida golf to join The Woodford Club, which is near Lexington, Ky. That led to his joining forces with Randy Clay, a co-owner of the Woodford Club, in establishing the Kentucky Golf Trail. Baldassari’s wife Pam is also part of the trail’s ownership team.
“We moved (to Kentucky) and saw an opportunity,’’ said Baldassari. “We came to re-imagine golf there.’’
The Trail is up and running with six courses in the Lexington-Lousville area. The Woodford Club, in Versailles, will celebrate its 60th anniversary in April and will host a Legends Tour June 7-8.
Other courses on the trail website are Greenbrier, in Lexington; Bardstown, in Bardstrown; Gibson Bay, in Richmond; Cherry Blossom, in Georgetown; and GlenOaks, in Prospect. Clay expects the number of courses to grow to 10-12 before this golf season is in full swing.
“We want to showcase the best in Kentucky golf,’’ said Clay.
The Kentucky Golf Tour will be unique, in that the packages offered include bourbon tastings; distillery, winery, brewery and horse farm tours; and stops at Churchill Downs and Keeneland race tracks.
To learn more check out info@kygolftrail.com or call Pam Baldassari at 859-682-6001.
Reports of the Kentucky Golf Trail’s creation surfaced at January’s PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, FL. As massive as the PGA Merchandise Show is, the annual extravaganza hasn’t always been a bevy of information when it comes to travel destinations. That changed at this year’s 72nd annual staging.
Here’s a smattering of the news coming out of other American destinations:
FOREST DUNES, Roscommon, MI. – Long one of Michigan’s best destinations, Forest Dunes already has three layouts open to the public – the initial namesake layout designed by Tom Weiskopf in 2002 and the cutting-edge Loop, a Tom Doak creation that is a reversible course. In other words, The Loop functions as two distinct courses.
The northern Michigan facility then underwent an ownership change. Now Rich Mack, who owns the resort with business partner Tom Sunnarborg, has announced that Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner will creating SkyFall – a new private club that will also allow limited resort guest play.
With elevation changes of up to 70 feet, SkyFall will weave through 300 acres of forest land adjacent to the current Forest Dunes public play courses.
Hanse says SkyFall will have some connection to Ohoopee Match Club in Georgia and Castle Stuart in Scotland and Les Bordes in France – two of the noted designer’s latest creations.
SkyFall is in the early construction phases and could open in late 2025 or early 2026.
THE HIGHLANDS, Boyne, MI. – The opening of a new par-3 short course, Doon Brae, has been long awaited. Finally its opening is planned for this summer along with the Back Yaird, a Himalayan-style putting course. Both are to open this summer.
Bernie Friedrich, director of golf course renovations and development at Boyne Resorts, says Doon Brae will be unique – though it was built on the site of the former Cuff Links nine-holer.
“As far as I know, this is the first modern golf course ever built on a ski hill,’’ said Friedrich. “The combination of small greens inspired by some of the great green templates from overseas with sod-faced bunkers and tight mowing patterns will be a fun perfect add-on to the daily golf itinerary.’’
Ray Hearn, the veteran Michigan-based architect, did the design work. He’s minimized the uphill walking needed on the new course. It’ll measure between 678 and 993 yards with holes ranging from 57 to 134 yards.
STREAMSONG, Florida – David McLay Kidd will create a fifth course at the unique Florida destination. He’s already designed courses at Bandon Dunes, in Oregon, and Sand Valley, in Wisconsin. The new course, which will go under construction in early 2025, will be set between the Streamsong Red and Streamsong Black courses.
Hanse and Wagner designed the Black course and Bill Coore and Ben Crensshaw did the Red. Chicago-based KemperSports has ushered in a new era at Streamsong with the addition of The Chain, a 19-hole short course that features a six-hole, 13-hole or 19-hole routing as well as The Bucket, a 2.5-acre putting course designed by Coore and Crenshaw that opened last year.
PEBBLE BEACH, California – It won’t open in 2025, but a timeline has been set for the renovation of The Links at Spanish Bay. Hanse is doing this one, too.
Spanish Bay will close on March 18, 2026 and reopen in the spring of 2027, a few months before the U.S. Open is contested at Pebble Beach.
HARBOR SHORES, Benton Harbor, MI. – This facility has a Jack Nicklaus design that has hosted several Senior PGA Championships in recent years. Now it is unveiling its Wee Course. It’s a layout where kids will play for free. All the holes will be 60 yards or less.
Colin Montgomerie will design the five-acre pitch and put course adjacent to the cottages along the first hole.