These have been quiet times for Mike Small, but that’s changing. The University of Illinois men’s coach is back in the spotlight going into the Illinois PGA Championship, which tees off on Monday on Medinah Country Club’s No. 1 course. Small, 54, has won the tournament 12 times and there’s no reason to think he…
Author: lenz
What’s the best course on the Georgia Golf Trail? You tell me
Georgia may be the best state in the union for golf. Others may have more courses, but the Peach State is the home of both the Masters and the PGA’s Tour Championship. No state has major events of that caliber on an annual basis. And don’t forget the Georgia Golf Trail. With 20 destinations it’s…
New clubhouse will also bring a stunning opening tee shot at Cherokee Valley
TRAVELER’S REST, South Carolina – Clubs — at least the lucky ones– are sometimes able to build nice, new clubhouses even in these difficult financial times. Cherokee Valley, a 28-year old public facility 25 miles from the city of Greenville, is one of those but there’s more to the story. Owner Matt Jennings wanted…
`Dirty Dancing’ helped make Bald Mountain a special course
LAKE LURE, North Carolina – The Bald Mountain course at Rumbling Bald Resort hasn’t changed much since W.B. Lewis designed it in 1968. “Actually, it hasn’t changed at all,’’ said Adam Bowles, who has headed the golf operation at the resort the last seven years. “They put in new bentgrass greens in about 2000, and…
Illinois Open, PGA run back-to-back this week
The biggest tournament for Illinois residents, the 71st Illinois Open, concludes today at White Eagle in Naperville. A day later the PGA Tour’s major championships for 2020, the PGA Championship, tees off at Harding Park in San Francisco. Before August is over the PGA Tour will have completed its FedEx Cup Playoffs, which conclude…
Defending champ Cooke has a dilemma going into the Illinois Open
David Cooke won the Illinois Open as an amateur in 2015 and last year as a professional. He may well have problems just making his first-round tee time to open his title defense when the 71st playing of the tourney tees off on Monday at White Eagle Club in Naperville. Cooke’s win last year was…
GOLF TRAVEL NOTEBOOK: Bath Course coming to Blackwolf Run
Business is reportedly down aty America’s golf destinations, but you certainly can’t blame the operators of those places for that. They have taken aggressive measures to entice golfers back, even in these troublesome pandemic times. Most notable recent example of that comes from Kohler, Wis., with an announcement only a few days after the…
Western Golf Association braces for its amateur doubleheader
This has indeed been a strange year for the Western Golf Association. The organization’s two national junior tournaments had to be canceled due to pandemic concerns and its two professional events were rescheduled for the same reason. The WGA’s two history-rich amateur championships, however, are going on as scheduled. The 120th playing of the Women’s…
It’s not just PGA Tour; spectators will also be scarce at Western amateur events
The Western Golf Association’s three most prestigious championships certainly will look different this year thanks to ongoing pandemic concerns. An announcement from the PGA Tour this week declared that there will be no spectators at its tournaments through the FedEx Cup Playoffs. That means the second of those three postseason events – the BMW Championship…
Illini golf teams get a boost from course donation
Northwestern, Iowa and Indiana just upgraded their golf facilities. Now Illinois is doing the same. The school announced that the Atkins family has donated about 300 acres in Urbana, which includes the Stone Creek Golf Course, to the University. Stone Creek opened in 2000 and was closed in January. It’s expected to re-open for public…