TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. — There’s still a good two months left in the Chicago golf season but, unfortunately, it won’t be too long until the weather changes. Snow and cold weather always arrive eventually, and then it’ll be time to head to warmer climates.
For golf in the winter months that means Florida, California or Arizona. You might be able to tee it up in a few other states but conditions will be iffy, at best. I tried it last winter in Texas and the Carolinas with very mixed results.But in Florida, California and Arizona being able to play from December through February is pretty much a sure thing.
Going to those places takes some planning, and it wouldn’t hurt to start now. One thing to remember, the best courses aren’t necessarily the most expensive. That’s never been more true than in these tough economic times. Doing a little investigating now can pay you big dividends down the road, in terms of both enjoyment and money spent.
Nothing against California and Arizona, but I’m a Florida guy. I’ve been a regular visitor there for years, and last winter I made two trips, travelled widely around the state in search of good playing opportunities and found plenty of them.
The place you should start is an old favorite — Innisbrook, on the outskirts of Tampa. I had made a quick stop at Innisbrook years ago and returned because the International Network of Golf spring meeting was held there. While there was nothing wrong with the “old’’ Innisbrook, I found the present version significantly updated and filled with friendly people.
That latter is understandable, since Innisbrook has strong ties with the Chicago area. Its owner since 2007 is Sheila C. Johnson, born in Maywood and a University of Illinois graduate. A founding partner of Black Entertainment Television, she also has ownership in three Washington pro sports teams — basketball’s Wizards (NBA) and Mystics (WNBA) and hockey’s Capitals. It was through her efforts that Innisbrook underwent a massive renovation that included all 608 of its guest rooms in 2009.
All four courses on the property were designed by Larry Packard, who was based in Chicago for the bulk of his noteworthy career. His broad design portfolio includes the well-respected Cantigny in Wheaton. Packard, now 98, lives on the Innisbrook property with his wife, who is in her 80s.
A key member of the present Innisbrook staff is Doug Schmidt, director of business development and membership. He came through the Chicago ranks as well.
You might not be aware of this factoid: Innisbrook is the only place to host an event on both the men’s and women’s pro tours. The PGA Tour brings its Transitions Championship to the Copperhead layout and the LPGA has a Legends event on the Island course.
Just recently Innisbrook received some significant acclaim when the Copperhead layout was voted the ninth best of the 52 layouts used for tournaments by the PGA Tour. Who did the voting? The players themselves — or at least 82 of them. Those rated higher were Augusta National, Harbour Town, Riviera, Pebble Beach, Colonial, Muirfield Village, Shaughnessy (Canadian Open) and Aronimink. One player opined that Copperhead is “the best course we play in Florida.”
And, statistically, the last three holes at Copperhead created the toughest finishing stretch on the PGA circuit. Those holes have, justifiably, been billed “the Snake Pit.”
By no means is Innisbrook the only golf option in Florida. From personal experience I can recommend quite a few others. If you want a PGA Tour flavor other than Copperhead and are willing to pay top dollar you’ll want to try TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, near Jacksonville. It’ll give you the opportunity of playing one of the most famous holes in golf — the short par-3 17th with its island green. And, if you do go there be sure to stop (or stay) at World Golf Village in nearby St. Augustine, home of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Also in that part of the state is Palm Harbor, in Palm Coast. Run by Chicago-based KemperSports, it’s a friendly place on all counts and merits a visit.
There are plenty of courses around Orlando, of course, thanks to the presence of vacation hotbed Disney World. I’d suggest you consider a drive of about 20 miles outside of Kissimmee to the town of Harmony. It has a course I really enjoyed, Harmony Golf Preserve, and nearby Royal St. Cloud has a links layout that’s good, too. Plus, they’re more dollar-friendly than many of the places in the Disney World area. You might also be interested in visiting Windermere, a private club under new ownership that is undergoing an upgrade and welcoming public play.
Further into the state is the Bobby Jones Golf Complex, a 45-hole facility in Sarasota. Its courses are player-friendly and very economical.
The Florida golf offerings aren’t as well known as those in California, where the beautiful Carmel area is the focal point. That’s where you’ll find Pebble Beach, Spyglass, Spanish Bay and Poppy Hills. You’ll pay top dollar there, but it may be worth it to you in terms of the memories you’ll take from the experience.
I tend to look for more out-of-the-way places that also tend to be more economical. Heavily-played Rancho Park, in Los Angeles, is rich in history as a former site of the Los Angeles Open. Sandpiper, in Santa Barbara, is another good buy and San Jose has a nice municipal course, as well, but the best bargain I found was Los Verdes, in Rancho Palos Verdes. Here you get great ocean-front views at an extremely reasonable rate and it’s nearly within walking distance of Trump National, which charges much, much more. The catch is, Los Verdes is no secret. You may have trouble getting a tee time and your round could be a slow one.
My trips to California were frequently for business, and time constraints were involved. That led me to look for nine-holers once in awhile, and the Manhattan Beach Marriott has a fun one on its premises.
As for Arizona, I’m not nearly as familiar with the courses there. Last winter, in fact, was my first playing experience in Arizona, and I tested a couple of reasonably-priced public layouts in Silver Creek in the White Mountains town of Show Low, and nearby Pinetop Lakes, a short, sporty layout. Arizona, though, is known for some great upscale golf with the Scottsdale layouts — Troon North, Talking Stick and The Phoenician — the best-known places to go. TPC Scottsdale is also in that mix, as the site of Phoenix’ annual PGA Tour stop.
A course that I would readily to put on my future travel agenda, though, is far less publicized one at Tubac Resort. That’s where much of the classic golf movie “Tin Cup’’ was filmed.

Not that there’s anything wrong with golf courses in the Chicago area, but golf getaways can be fun, too. And, you don’t have to go very far to find great getaway destinations. Our neighboring states of Wisconsin and Indiana have plenty of possibilities.

In my book no state in the country has come as far golf-wise as Wisconsin in the last few years. The Badger state has been an increasingly frequent stop for me. I’ve made three visits already this season, and one long-time favorite resort should be brought to your attention.
As for Indiana, I haven’t found as many golf possibilities as I did in Wisconsin but the inspirational resurgence of French Lick is a tale well worth telling.

Wisconsin first.

Kohler is certainly the best-known destination for a golf getaway. The Andersen Consulting World Match Play Championship was held there three times (1995-97) at Blackwolf Run as was the 1998 U.S. Women’s Open. Two PGA Championships have been staged at nearby Whistling Straits. in recent years. Those big tournaments brought a bright spotlight on The American Club and other lodging options in the Kohler area.

By no means is Kohler the only area to go for great golf in Wisconsin, however.
This year I enjoyed a delightful stay at Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva. You might remember it as the old Playboy Club, a thriving spot beginning in the 1960s. Things have changed a lot since then, and especially since a multi-million dollar property-wide renovation was made last year.

One thing remains the same, though. The Brute, one of the resort’s two 18-holers, is still one of my favorites anywhere. It can be too challenging if you use the wrong set of tees, but The Brute’s expansive rolling greens can set the tone for a fun round for players of all levels.

Grand Geneva’s other course was once called the Briarpatch. Originally designed jointly by Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus (it’s hard for me to imagine them working together) it was transformed in 1996 by Bob Cupp and has been called The Highlands since then. While The Brute remains my favorite, The Highlands is a good option with its scenic hills and lush foliage.

Not to be lost at Grand Geneva is its other entertainment options. This place has undergone considerable updating in recent years, but especially since the recent makeover. On a national level I can compare it to another of my recent ventures, to Innisbrook in Tampa, Fla. — the home of the PGA Tour’s Transitions Championship on its Copperhead course.

But I digress. Grand Geneva’s dining options at Ristorante Brissago, Cafe Grande and the Geneva ChopHouse and the more relaxed atmosphere of The Lobby Lounge provide good diversions after a round at one or both of the courses. There’s also the spa (Carlos relieved my sciatica, for which I will be forever grateful), salon, fitness center and swimming pool opportunities after golf is done. Grand Geneva is, without question, a premier year-around resort. It offers skiing in the winter.

In recent year’s I’ve also spent time at Geneva National and Northern Bay, which offer a different lodging-golf opportunities, and — whether you want to make a long-term stay or not — some courses that merit your attention based on my visits are The Bear at Pinehurst Farms in Sheboygan Falls, The Bog in Saukville, and Trappers Turn and Wild Rock in the Wisconsin Dells area. Peninsula, in Door County, and Brighton Dale LInks in Kenosha are good, more economical options. On the more upscale side, there’s Erin Hills. It hosted last month’s U.S. Amateur en route to landing the U.S. Open in 2017.

You might also want to be aware of what’s coming at Blackwolf Run. Next year it’ll host the U.S. Women’s Open again, and that means special activity around this early Pete Dye design. As it stands now, part of the 1998 U.S. Women’s Open layout was on the River 18-holer and the other on the Valley 18-holer.

Over the last two years portions of the two courses have been closed for a renovation that’s now complete. David Albrecht, Blackwolf Run’s head pro, and I played some of these great holes together, but the original 18-holer used 13 years ago will be put back in play for the biggest tournament in women’s golf. There’ll be plenty of excitement at Blackwolf leading up to this event and advance planning — perhaps for next spring — is advised.

Now for Indiana.

Two resorts that I’ve visited offer multiple courses — French Lick in the southern part of the state near Louisville and Swan Lake, in Plymouth. Swan Lake is much closer to Chicago and is the home of the U.S. Golf Academy as well as two 18-hole courses. A 2009 re-routing led to the creation of the Black course, which is more challenging, and the Silver, which encourages lower scoring.

French Lick, though, is something else. Combined with the neighboring town of West Baden, this is a resort community that has literally been reborn. The West Baden Springs Hotel is a charming throwback to another era, when the community provided a great escape for the well-to-do from all corners of the country.

Then came a long, economic decline and the area was known mainly as the home town of basketball legend Larry Bird. That sad period is long gone now, though. A casino is thriving in French Lick and golf has had a major revival with a renovation of the Donald Ross Course and the creation of the spectacular Pete Dye Course, which opened in June, 2009 and has hosted the 2010 PGA Professionals National Championship. It’s the first course I’ve played that can be stretched past 8,000 yards — though I’m quick to add that I would never venture back to those tees that produce an 8,102-yard layout.

While the Dye course draws all the accolades, the Ross course is rich in history. In its heyday it was the site of the 1924 PGA Championship and both the LPGA and Senior PGA tours held events there before the layout was closed for a major renovation that was completed in 2008.

Starting next year both courses will be used when French Lick becomes the home of the Big Ten championships for both men and women — a major step forward for both the conference and the community.