The weather may suggest otherwise, but the Chicago golf season is ready to tee off.
January rounds in snow and frigid weather aren’t unusual in the Chicago area but the Polar Bear Open on Sunday (JAN 4) is different. It not only brings golf diehards together at St. Andrews Golf & Country Club in West Chicago, it also marks the start of that facilities year-long centennial celebration.
St. Andrews is the oldest continuously owned and operated family golf course in Illinois and one of the oldest in U.S. The bagpipe preliminaries to the Polar Bear Open won’t end the St. Andrews’ celebration.
“There’ll be something every single month of the year,’’ said Jerry Hinckley, part of the five generations of the Jemsek-Hinckley family that has operated the facility since its opening in 1926.
St. Andrews is one of the few public courses that stays open all year-round. There’ll be drawings for prizes in each of the first three months of 2026 and those who make holes-in-one in April through July will be eligible for drawings for a car as well as travel trips in 2027. In the fall there’ll be drawings for irons and there’ll be some free golf opportunities in the last three months of the year.
Under Joe Jemsek’s guidance St. Andrews became the first public course to host a U.S. Open qualifier in 1947 and the first to offer air-conditioning and allow metal spikes in the clubhouse.
Jemsek also brought in Patty Berg, a World Golf Hall of Fame player who was St. Andrews head professional for 50 years. Ray Floyd, who had wins in the Masters, U.S. Open and PGA Championship, also represented St. Andrews as his home course early in his career.
Mark Hensby got his golfing start in Illinois’ big tournaments and now has a select spot in a PGA Tour Champions event that may be the most unusual competition in golf. (Pat Eastman Photo)
CLEARWATER, Florida – When Mark Hensby was getting started in professional golf he was definitely different.
He moved from Australia to the Chicago area in 1996, devoted himself to golf and promptly won the Illinois State Amateur. He was known to occasionally sleep in his car in the Cog Hill parking lot in those days, but his game continued to improve. In 1998 he won the Illinois Open and in 2004 he took the John Deere Classic, Illinois’ longstanding event on the PGA Tour.
Hensby made a good career after that, even playing on one of the Presidents Cup teams, but not without a touch of the unusual mixed in. In 2009, Hensby took a break from golf to ride 430 miles in a charity cycling event in Arizona, where he has been a long-time resident. Not many pro tour golfers would attempt something like that.
So, this week is different, but Hensby is there. The Skechers World Champions Cup, a stop on PGA Tour Champions at Feather Sound Country Club, is the most unusual competition in professional golf. I haven’t heard of anything like it in my 50-plus years covering golf, and this one doesn’t have much of a history. The first playing was at The Concession, in Bradenton, FL., in 2023. The event wasn’t played in 2024.
Play is in sixsomes over only nine holes with three formats – six-ball, Scottish Six-somes and singles – being used. Hensby was a late addition to the select field thanks to a solid season on PGA Tour Champions. He had five top-10 finishes and was No. 26 on the season money list in 2025.
There were two-man teams from Team USA, Team International and Team Europe competing for most of it. The teams played together in six nine-hole matches spread over Thursday and Friday.
Have you ever seen a golf tournament leaderboard like this one?
Matches weren’t played on Saturday. Pro-ams are usually held on Wednesday — the day before the real competition begins — but this time the amateurs got to play with the pros on the day before they decided a championship. The pro-am was over 18 holes, much different than the tourney format, and the course wasn’t open to the public on pro-am day.
All Skechers World Champions Cup competitors are regulars on the 50-and-over Champions circuit. Jim Furyk (USA}, Darren Clarke (Europe) and Mike Weir (International) are the team captains. Bernhard Langer was ill and didn’t play for the Europeans in the first three matches. Hensby is on the International team based on his Australian background.
Skechers provided shoes for all the players as well as their caddies, spouses and tournament volunteers. The unusual format forced some adjustment for the players, especially Hensby. Six players teed off in each group on each hole in the team portion.
“You just pay attention and take your time,’’ said Hensby. “It’s a little different. Four times I walked where there were still guys to hit, so that’s definitely different.’’
Hensby was paired with Y.E. Yang, from South Korea, in the first two rounds, and they were the top point-producers in both of them. Friday turned sour for Hensby after that, as his team was the lowest point-producer in the morning session and Hensby couldn’t play in the afternoon.
“At dinner last night Mark said he might only go nine holes (on Friday),’’ said Charlie Wi, an alternate on the International squad. “I didn’t put much into it, but today he wasn’t feeling well and said he couldn’t feel his clubs.’’
So, Wi took Hensby’s place – and that presented an odd spin. When Hensby captured his only PGA Tour Champions victory in Texas in 2023 he defeated Wi in a playoff. Whether he’ll be back in the lineup Sunday is uncertain, but the competition is tight.
Europe leads with 109.5 points to 108 for the U.S. and 106.5 for the International team. The tourney concludes on Sunday with 12 singles matches. TV coverage on the final day will be split between Golf Channel and ABC.
The field in the Skechers World Champions Cup consisted of only 24 players but they received a warm welcome from the spectators at Feather Sound
Long-time Florida golf architect Ron Garl brought his experience from designing over 3,000 courses to the International Network of Golf Fall Forum. (Joy Sarver Photos)
SEBRING, FL. — Mike Jamison, executive director of the International Network of Golf, started holding Fall Forums at the Inn on the Lakes Hotel in 2022, ending a run of annual Spring Conferences that started at Hilton Head, S.C., in 1990. It ran through 2019 when the Sebring Raceway Hotel hosted before the pandemic shut down the event for two years.
Whether held in the fall or spring, the ING’s feature event brought media members together with golf industry leaders in a comfortable, productive setting . This staging was different, though.
While there were the traditional two golf outings on the four-day schedule, the presentations were loaded with information on what’s new in the golf world. Two – by Peakvision’s Dave Feaser and Tour Edge’s David Glod and Matt Neely – were done via Zoom calls. The others, of varying length, were done in person. All were captivating and informative. It created a perfect blend of fun and education and concluded with a Jamison announcement on a major change in the event for 2026. More on that later.
In the meantime, here’s how the latest Fall Forum unfolded.
RON GARL, the long-time Florida-based golf architect and ING member, has worked on over 300 courses around the world. We have long awaited the creation of a Ron Garl Golf Trail in Florida, and both courses played in this ING outing – Golf Hammock and Country Club of Sebring – were Garl designs.
A Trail must wait, but Garl provided a lowdown on his Florida courses and the many he has done internationally. The most striking part of his presentation, though, came when he addressed the state of the industry. He has some concerns, and suggestions.
“One way to grow the game would be for courses to offer free golf on Monday afternoons. They’d be walking rounds after school is out, and the rounds would be free “only if you bring a kid. ‘’
He also suggested a different formula in purchasing season green fees.
“You don’t buy memberships,’’ he said. “You buy tee times and you buy them for foursomes.’’
Thought-provoking? I certainly think so.
Tour Edge founder David Glod (left) and Matt Neely, vice president of product development, operated via Zoom to provide a detailed look on how the company designs their innovative clubs. T.E.D. Robot ((Tour Edge Development, below) is a key part of the club creation process. In fact, they just call the robot “Ted.”
TOUR EDGE’s Glod and Neely came from their headquarters in Batavia, IL., to provide a step-by-step look at how clubs are designed and marketed. Glod especially knows the process inside and out, as he’s been doing it for over 40 years.
Some interesting sidelights:
“Yes, we’re using Artificial Intelligence in the design phases,’’ said Glod. “ You need to keep the guardrails on AI. Otherwise you can get out of control, but AI can take us outside the box a little more.’’
So, what’s the future of AI in golf?
“That’s a tough one,’’ said Glod. “Think about it. A driver is extremely intricate. It’s more for testing right now but we’re making human decisions.’’
Tour Edge has just come out with the first ball in company history.
“That was all driven by (new president) Tim Clarke, who came from Wilson,’’ said Glod. “We know our balls meet the standards, but we’re on the Champions Tour now (with most of its player ambassadors), and those guys are hard to change. We have a large presence there, but we’ve got to move on. Our next focus will be on the 30 to 50 year olds.’’
David Feaser (left) of PeakVision found an ideal model for his company’s sunglasses.
PEAKVISION started 25 years ago and owner and chief executive officer Dave Feaser and his son Nicholas bought the company in 2017. It’s based in Conway, S.C. Their present product is non-polarized sunglasses.
“That highlights everything,’’ said Feaser. “They’re the only pair of sunglasses you don’t take off. They provide wonderful clarity on the golf course. You can see the course like you’ve never seen it before, and they help on a cloudy day.’’
Jan Stephenson, the World Golf Hall of Famer, gave them a verbal endorsement during the Feaser’s presentation. He also says they’re good for pickleball and tennis and combat eye fatigue, but they’re not offered in prescriptions. Cost ranges from $100 to $160.’’
Golf great Jan Stephenson has fun describing her new book to ING’s Mike Jamison.
STEPHENSON also unveiled her latest business venture. It started with discussions about a movie on her life, but she didn’t like the script.
For now she’s working with Tony Leodora on a book about her life. Leodora has already written Chapter 25 and predicts it will be “a blockbuster….I’m stunned every day with what she had to overcome.’’
“And we didn’t have to make anything up,’’ said Stephenson, who has – among other things – recovered from breast cancer. While the book will come first she believes the movie and/or a screen play will follow.
SID MINER, a Sarasota, FL., resident, stopped by to promote the National Association of Left-Handed Golfers.
This group was founded in 1936 and its annual tournament will celebrate its 90th anniversary in 2026. That event is Sept. 22-27 in St. Paul, Minn., but the group has a full tournament schedule prior to that. First event is the Florida State Championshp March 17-18 at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel.
Sid Miner (left), of the Left-Handed Golfers, and Gary Lofano, of The Landings, were also key players at the ING Fall Forum.
AND FINALLY, Jamison caught the Fall Forum attendees by surprise in announcing that the Spring Conference will return in 2026. It’ll be held June 1-3 at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club in Savannah, Ga. It has six 18-hole courses and Gary Lofano, director of marketing and communication, welcomed the ING members on behalf of The Landings.
Jamison said there would be a limit for ING members, from 30-36, at this Spring Conference. More details will be available when ING returns to the PGA Merchandise Show at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. From January 20-23.
Casey Hartt, (left), tourism director at Visit Sebring, and Andy Kessling (right) of the Citrus Golf Trail celebrate another ING Fall Forum with Mike Jamison.
Living in Ocala has introduced Joy and me to the equestrian world.
OCALA, FL. — It was no secret that we were in horse country once we moved to Ocala nearly two years ago. We were quick to find the magnificent World Equestrian Center, a 15-minute drive from our place, and have been frequent visitors for shows, dining, shopping and just prowling the premise.
In the horse world, though. the Ocala/Marion County area is much more than the WEC. Joy and I had long intended to go on one of the horse farm tours in the area. We recently did it and – in a seven-hour guided tour – we learned how aptly the area has been labelled the Horse Capital of the World.
A big reason is apparently the unique soil composite. It is rich in limestone, which boosts the calcium that helps horses develop strong bones and healthy muscles.
Taking care of her horses has become a life-long passion for Lori Conway. (Joy Sarver Photos)
The WEC, created by the late Ohio trucking magnate Larry Roberts, is a family-owned center of activity that opened in 2021. It has two luxury hotels a Grand Arena, 25 barns with 3,000 stalls, six climate-controlled arenas, seven restaurants and lots of shopping options and more is being added to its sprawling 378 acres. A Sports Complex and huge Event Center figure to be the next big thing.
There’s a regular schedule of horse and dog shows, many with free admission, and its Winter Spectacular is not to be missed. Tour guide Karen Grimes, though, showed us that we have by no means seen all that the area has to offer horse-wise.
This horse was happy to show off his cosmetic bans, used to keep his neck from sagging.
There are over 1,200 horse farms, and we got an up close and personal look at Conway Arabians from Lori Conway who, with her husband Peter, moved from Minnesota to Micanopy – near Ocala – in 2022. They’re involved in all phases of horse life from breeding, to training to competitions, and Conway Arabians will also host the Black Stallion reading project — an annual fund-raiser that benefits fourth-graders in Marion County on Nov. 6. Lori’s presentation for us was enlightening, to put it mildly.
Other sections of the area include the Florida Horse Park, where polo matches are held; an art gallery and museum; and the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders & Owners Association headquarters, where auctions bring in buyers from around the world several times a year and generate $180 million in sales. Next auction is for yearlings on Oct. 7-8.
An estimated 75,000 horses reside in Marion County and about half are thoroughbreds.
Lori Conway deals with more than horses at Conway Arabians. She also breeds Golden Retrievers.
Stunning Southern live oak trees have long been a big part of Ocala Golf Club. (Joy Sarver Photos)
OCALA, FLORIDA – Lots of states have golf trails. Some spotlight regions, some types of layouts, some architects. All are good ideas, but Florida’s is different than all the others. It puts a premium on history.
The Florida Historic Golf Trail was created by the Florida Department of State in 1991 to enhance public awareness of the state’s public, semi-private, military and resort courses. A booklet on the Trail was created by the Florida Association of Museums.
A most worthwhile project, the Trail underscores the proud history of what is arguably this country’s most golf-minded state. Florida has over 1,100 courses and over 500 golf communities. To make it onto this Trail a course must be open to the public continuously for 50 years. In short, these courses’ longevity and preservation are things to be celebrated.
Many Florida golf historians believe the first golf ball put in play in the U.S. was on a small practice course in Sarasota in 1886. Colonel John Hamilton Gillespie, who grew up in Scotland, designed and built a two-hole course there. Gillespie and a friend, Leonard Reid, eventually built one of the state’s first nine-hole courses. It opened, with a clubhouse, in 1905 and Gillespie sold it five years later.
Ocala Golf Club has an insignia that continues to reflect its history.
The Trail lists 53 courses, most built between 1897 and 1949, and identifies a few others that include private venues. We became interested in the Trail in 2011 when we started yearly winter visits to the Sunshine State before establishing residency in 2016.
We’ve played 15 courses on the Trail over the years, the most recent being to the Ocala Golf Club – one of the oldest courses on the circuit – this year. Some of the Trail courses have maintained their historic characteristics while others have undergone various degrees of modification through the years. Most all reasonably priced and offer a glimpse into what their communities were like in their early days.
In the case of Ocala, we found an 18-hole course that was one of 13 courses listed in a Florida golf directory in 1901. It was a nine-holer known as the Ocala Heights Golf Club then, and its arrival triggered golf popularity in the area. A second course was built on the other side of town and the Ocala Highlands Golf Course and Hotel opened in 1931. Pittsburgh-based architect Ellsworth Giles designed that course, and the city purchased it in the mid-1940s.
The Ocala Golf Club course may be old, but it’s still fun to play.
The course has long been known as “the muni’’ but its insignia for many years were the huge Southern live oak trees spread around the property. With a life expectancy of 150 years, those trees – native to the Southeastern coast and known for their impressive size and broad branches — were popular with the golfers.
That changed in 2008 after a giant branch fell off a tree behind the 17th green. That tree was believed to be at least 200 years old at that time and tree-trimming experts then declared it a danger. It took four days for the tree to be removed, and some still miss it. The logo insignia was changed, too, but several somewhat smaller versions of that eye-catching tree remain.
Ocala Golf Club underwent an extensive renovation in 2009 with architect Michael Beebe declaring “our goal was to recapture the classical look and strategic principles that had been lost over the years.’’
An expansive clubhouse makes Ocala Golf Club a good spot for a variety of events.
The club now has five sets of tees and can play from 4,200 to 6,500 yards. In the renovation it received new greens, tees, bunkers, irrigation, cart paths and selective tree removal. It’s a fun course to play and has an expansive clubhouse, making it a good setting for outings, meetings and other social events.
Our favorite course on the Trail, though, remains the Ft. Myers Country Club, an 18-holer designed by legendary architect Donald Ross and built in 1916.
This place abounds in history, as the former winter homes of American icons Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone just a mile away. The facility was called the Ft. Myers Golf & Yacht Club then and Edison had a hand in the course’s creation. Clubhouse photos and a museum rekindle memories of the good old days, but the facility has changed a lot, most notably after a $5.2 million facelift in 2014.
This Ocala tree stands out from the others on the course because it’s inundated with Spanish moss.
Unique bunkers are a key factor in making Ocala Preserve a challenging course. (Joy Sarver Photos)
OCALA, FL. – An 18-hole par-3 course is unusual. More often than not they’re nine-holers.
This 18-hole par-3 is called the Skills Course at The Club at Ocala Preserve. It’s played as a par 54 with the shortest hole at 63 yards and the longest at slightly over 200 depending on your tee choice.
The same layout’s first six holes are called the Gallery Loop, and it’s designed for golfers with time constraints. Want to squeeze in a few holes? This one is for you.
There’s also a Players Loop, also six holes but designed with one par-3, four par-4s and one par-5. Those holes range from 155 to 520 yards, a more diversified layout for players with limited time available.
And there’s more.
Tour the Players Loop three times and you have a full-fledged 18-hole experience that plays at 6,700 yards and a par of 72.
Even though the course is almost 10 years old, the hole routing is innovative or revolutionary, take your pick.
If you want to play a match – and members frequently do – there’s a Horse Course layout where players can select their own tee preferences. There are no defined tee boxes.
No matter what version of the course is played, the unique white sand bunkers are a strategic factor. The tees, where needed, are unusual, too. They have only one marker, not two. You can tee off on either side of that marker, wherever you choose.
Ocala Preserve isn’t just a unique golf course. The layout also has its scenic elements,
Two other things you should know: the course is built on only 50 acres (most 18 holers require over 100) and the scorecard – at least the one given us for the Skills layout – provided only the hole numbers and the pars. There was no yardages and the hole handicaps were not listed. There were just blank spaces for players to write in their scores.
In nearly 70 years playing this game I’ve never found a course like this one.
Ocala Preserve, called Trilogy when it opened in February of 2016, was designed by Oklahoma-based architect Tripp Davis and Tom Lehman, a long-time tour player with impeccable credentials.
Lehman, now 66, is a sometimes competitor on PGA Tour Champions but in his heyday he won the 1996 U.S. Open and also captured titles at two of the most prestigious PGA Tour events – the Tour Championship and Memorial.
For one week in 1996 he was No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings. In 2006 he was the captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team and in 2009 he won his first start on PGA Tour champions. This man knows his golf.
Ocala Preserve is part of a 600-acre community that includes a seven-acre lake and a very pleasant clubhouse that has a great view of the course and the most enjoyable Salted Brick restaurant and bar. Walking, biking and hiking trails as well as a spa are also part of the community ambience.
While Ocala Preserve has a membership the course is open to the public on certain days each week. For details check out www.ocalapreserve.com.
Ocala Preserve has more than just a unique golf course. Its clubhouse is first-rate, too.
General manager Kurtis Kuhn shows off Pine Lakes’ original building from the Myrtle Beach Hall of Fame Garden.
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – This is a given. If you’re in search of a golf destination Myrtle Beach will never let you down. So many courses, an oceanfront location for beach goers, lots of other entertainment options, lodging and dining options. It’s all there.
I’ve made annual trips to MB for about 15 years and played multiple rounds each time. One question I’ve regular gotten is `What’s the best course there?’ and my answer is always the same — `Probably the last course I played there.’
We attacked that issue a little differently this year during a Golf Travel Writers of America stay that involved playing three of the best layouts in Founders Group International, Myrtle Beach’s largest golf course ownership group. Founders has 21 courses spread over 18 facilities and also owns MyrtleBeachGolfTrips.com, the leading provider for stay-and-play golf packages and online tee times in the area.
This time we won’t be tricked into considering what course is “the best.’’ Instead we’ll focus on which is the “most important.’’
That’s easy. It’s Pine Lakes.
Without Pine Lakes there wouldn’t be a Myrtle Beach as we know it, and plans are underway to underscore that at the course’s centennial celebration in 2027.
No. 14, a par-4 with a backdrop of nearby buildings, may be Pine Lakes’ best known hole. (Joy Sarver Photos)
“We have a fun year coming up,’’ said Kurtis Kuhn, Pine Lakes general manager. “We’re still working on a lot of things, but we’ll try to market it more as Myrtle Beach turning 100. The celebration won’t just be about us but about Myrtle Beach golf.’’
Parts of Pine Lakes’ past have been reported, but more will be revealed in the next couple years. For now it’s a public course with 275 golfing members. There’s also some social members, but Pine Lakes has never had a famous player as its representative or hosted a particularly big tournament. And, the course has no real estate component.
“In the beginning it probably was private,’’ said Kuhn. “We may have a membership push, but Pine Lakes will never be fully private. Anybody can play here.’’
Pine Lakes is the oldest course among Myrtle Beach’s courses. It opened in 1927, and the second one, the Dunes Golf & Beach Club, didn’t open until 1948. The community once had over 100 courses, but now the number is back in double digits thanks to a changing economy.
In its early years Pine Lakes wasn’t Pine Lakes. It was called Ocean Forest and was connected to the Ocean Forest Hotel. The course’s name was changed after the hotel was demolished.
Originally designed by Robert White, a Scotsman who was also the first president of the PGA of America and co-founder of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. He also built the first putting green on the White House lawn.
Pine Hills’ logo and the cover of Sports Illustrated’s first issue play a big part in the club’s history.
As the oldest course in Myrtle Beach Pine Lakes had its big moments, if not big tournaments. Sports Illustrated magazine was created in a meeting in the Pine Hills clubhouse in 1954. The club also won a well-publicized legal dispute over its logo with clothes designer Ralph Lauren. Now Pine Lakes doubles as the site of the Myrtle Beach Golf Hall of Fame.
And that’s all been done as a public course. Kuhn appreciates that fact, but isn’t awed by it.
“If you want a true private course the only one (in MB) is The Dunes Club,’’ he said, “but there are packages available where people can still play there. That’s just the nature of Myrtle Beach.’’
As for Pine Lakes, the old club was appropriately dubbed “the Granddaddy’’ long ago. It’s thrived through constantly changing times, and we found the course perhaps the best conditioned one we’ve played in Myrtle Beach – and that’s even after a trying year in which the area dealt with snow in late January and threatening forest fires.
“An interesting year weather-wise,’’ said Kuhn, “but Pines Lakes isn’t going anywhere. We’ve seen a lot of courses get sold for homes, but this place will be a golf course for a very long time.’’
He has his own opinion as to why the club has thrived.
“It’s the history,’’ he said. “It started what Myrtle Beach is today. There’s no place like it.’’
Kings North has 43 bunkers on just one hole, and they’ll have white sand when its renovation is completed.
WITH ALL DUE RESPECT to Pine Lakes, it’s hard to leave Myrtle Beach without keeping up with some of its other significant courses.
Kings North, at Myrtle Beach National, was the most interesting on this trip. The three-course property was built by the Arnold Palmer Group in the 1970s and Palmer was on hand for the Kings North renovation in 1994. Now Founders wants to elevate the course’s profile.
Brandon Johnson, a designer with a most fertile imagination, is with the Palmer group. He finished a renovation of Kings North’s front nine that was stunning. Now the back side is getting his attention. Given the extent of his work on the front side, one wonders what surprises he’ll unveil on the back.
General manager Ryan Ruddy won’t give many details, but the white sand used on the front side will be used on the back and the 18th hole will be toned down. It has a stunning 43 bunkers now. Ruddy says “they’ll be reduced…they’re a maintenance nightmare. But there’ll be a lot more of the waste area.’’
General manager Tom VanHoogen (left) and head professional Shane Peters guide a busy place at Grande Dunes.
GRANDE DUNES, the last course built in Myrtle Beach in 2000, has become one of Founders’ most popular courses. It underwent its own extensive renovation three years ago.
The original course was designed by Roger Rulewich and John Harvey, who worked with Rulewich on the original design and construction, renovated the greens – largest in the area – back to their original size and also worked on every bunker.
“We wanted to bring Grande Dunes back to its original roots,’’ said Tom VanHoogan, the general manager. “After 20 years we wanted to revitalize it. But the clubhouse may have been the biggest thing. Now it’s very inviting for golfers, and it’s been brightened up.’’
The pro shop grew by 400 feet, an indoor-outdoor bar was added and outdoor seating expanded.
A greatly enlarged pro shop was the highlight of the most recent renovation at Grande Dunes.
The 89th Masters golf tournament was followed by people world-wide, golfers or not. It’s not unusual for publishers to use that big event to introduce their newest books, and – since I dabble with book reviews periodically – it’s not unusual for those publishers to send me their books for review purposes.
The week before the Masters teed off at Georgia’s Augusta National I received a copy of “Together We Roared,’’ an insiteful account of the glory days of Tiger Woods and his long-time caddie, Steve Williams. It was written in third person but Williams was a co-author with Evin Priest (William Morrow, an imprint of Harper/Collins Publishers).
After thoroughly watching this year’s Masters I couldn’t help but wonder, did anyone miss Tiger Woods? I didn’t – at least not during the pulsating four days of competition and the dramatic finish when Rory McIlroy won the title in a sudden death player to become the sixth player in history to complete a career Grand Slam. The means wins in golf’s four major events – the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The (British) Open.
An extraordinary accomplishment for McIlroy, to be sure. He joined Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Woods in completing the career Grand Slam.
I had one reason for being delighted by the result. Picking the winner in the Masters is an annual rite of spring for golf columnists and I made my first pick in 1986 – the first year I covered the Masters in person. Picking the winners of golf tournaments is difficult, much harder than forecasting team champions in various sports.
My Masters picks were made for publication every year since then, but tabbing McIlroy to win this one last week in the Daily Herald was only my third such successful pick. The others were Fred Couples in 1992 and Scottie Scheffler in 2022.
Sunday’s wrapup to this year’s Masters was the most dramatic of my years as an official Masters watcher. I can’t help but compare the others, which date back to 1968.
There are four most memorable Masters in my years. The first was in 1975, when Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Nicklaus were paired as a threesome in the final round. It came down to the final hole and final putts by each, Nicklaus knocking his in last for the victory. Lots of drama that day.
Even more came in 1986, my first Masters on site at Augusta National. Nicklaus won his record sixth title that year thanks to a heart-pounding final round. I’ve long felt that was the most memorable event writing-wise in my professional career. But, then there was 1987. A year after Nicklaus’ last win the Masters was decided in a playoff with Larry Mize beating the much more famous Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman in sudden death.
And now for McIlroy’s win. The final scene with him on hands and knees sobbing uncontrollably on the green after his last putt dropped put everything in perspective. Winning a Grand Slam merits such a reaction, and McIlroy’s was as genuine as it gets.
As for Woods, he didn’t attend this Masters. He wasn’t even at the past champions dinner on Tuesday night while recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in March. I suspect he’ll eventually play some events on PGA Tour Champions, but it’s time to declare an end to the Woods Era and look ahead to what comes next in a sport that’s been struggling through conflicts between the PGA Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
Players from both circuits play together in the Masters, but in very few other events. Golf needs more such tournaments. This year’s Masters underscored that.
Baseline’s beautiful waterfall can be seen on both the seventh and 15th holes. (Joy Sarver Photos)
OCALA, FL. — Granted, Baseline Golf Course is popular in this town in which I now live, but there’s no question it’s a special place. An Ocala resident for 15 months, I only recently visited this very different layout, nestled among beautiful horse farms.
Its beauty is only part of what makes Baseline different from the other courses in the north side of Florida. Different, in this case, is synonymous with good. It’s what makes Baseline a place worth visiting for golfers coming to the Sunshine State from distant areas.
Baseline is a 19-hole executive course, with seven par-4s and 11 par-3s and a bonus hole. Designed by Arlie Parker and Stan Norton in 1988, it’s a privately-owned public facility with a notably spacious practice range. It was built on a one-time water melon farm that was liberally spruced up with the planting of ornamental trees and flower gardens.
Parker, a former professional hockey player, grew up in Canada and was a physical education teacher and then owned a painting company in New York before retiring to Florida.
`Then he realized he really loved plants and flowers,’’ said granddaughter Ashley Hodgson, who is Baseline’s general manager. “He planted every tree on the course and also built our waterfall.’’
Can you believe this flower bed and ornamental trees are located on land that once was part of a watermelon farm, and now they’re part of one of the most beautiful golf courses in Florida?
Now 86, Parker and a partner created a nine-hole course. Parker, the sole owner since the 1990s, added the second nine plus the bonus hole (more on that later). He still puts in working hours at the course.
Doug Johnson, a former touring pro, has been giving lessons at Baseline for about 30 years and the range has lights to allow for evening activity there. The rest of the staff numbers 8-10 for inside projects and 10 for the outside work. There’s also a mechanic who works full time.
One very important thing for golfers to know before making their first visit to Baseline. There are no tee times. There may be a wait before you can tee off, but you can kill time browsing through a well-stocked pro shop that has tons of good deals or using the driving range or putting green beside the first tee.
It’s also noteworthy that, while Baseline is amply supplied with carts, walking is also possible at any time. Rates range from $22, for nine holes walking, to $52, for 18 holes with a cart.
Oh, yes. Baseline doesn’t just have 18 holes; it has 19 – and the rotation is unusual. So is the course’s scoring system. No. 13 – the one designated as “Lucky 13’’ and the signature hole – follows No. 4 and precedes No. 5. It has an island green and scoring is optional. Course rules say a score on “Lucky 13’’ can be used to replace a higher score on one of the other par-3s. In effect, it’s a bonus hole – whether you need it or not.
I’ll take issue with the “Lucky 13’’ designation as the signature hole. There’s a stunning floral display and waterfall located between Nos. 7 and 15. Hence it can be seen on both nines. It makes for a great photo op.
There are many more floral gardens on the course, which assures a pleasant tour of the property no matter how your score adds up. There’s also a fox den on the front nine, and one of the fox cubs strolled near a tee box when we were playing.
Because of its length – 3,604 yards, and a par of 64 — it’s a fun course for players of all ages and skill levels. The longest hole is 320 yards (the back tee yardage at both Nos. 9 and 10), and the shortest 80 yards (from the front tee at No. 8).
“Lucky 13” has an island green and is Baseline’s “bonus hole.” Using it for scoring purposes is optional.
Russell Henley and his daughter Jane celebrate his victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Joy Sarver Photos).
ORLANDO, FL. – No, Keegan Bradley didn’t win the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. Russell Henley did, winning a gritty battle with Collin Morikawa.
Henley was the benefactor of a pair of two-shot swings on the back nine, making a birdie at the par-3 fourth and a chip-in for eagle at No. 16 to win by one stroke. Winning for the first time in over two years, Henley shot 70 in the final round to post an 11-under-par 277. Morikawa, the third-round leader, carded a 72.
They were the stars of the PGA Tour’s fourth Signature event of the season, a $20 million offering that paid $4 million to Henley.
What Bradley did, though, shouldn’t go unnoticed. The U.S. Ryder Cup captain became the first player to break 30 on either nine at Bay Hill, the home of the late, great legendary Arnold Palmer. I consider Bradley’s a feel good story with very possible positive ramifications.
Bradley, trying to shake off a 76 in the third round, came out sizzling in his final 18. He holed a wedge shot at No. 6 for eagle and followed that up with four consecutive birdies. He was 8-under-par for the day after 10 holes.
He couldn’t keep up the pace, making his lone bogey when his tee shot sailed left at the par-3 fourteenth, and settled for an 8-under-par 64 and a tie or fifth place.
Still, this hot nine meant something for what might happen down the road. Bradley has made it no secret he wants to by a playing captain when the Ryder Cup comes to Bethpage Black in New York in September.
Keegan Bradley’s game was operating on all cylinders in the final round of the API.
Playing captains were commonplace in the early years of the Ryder Cup, but the U.S. hasn’t had one since – coincidently – Palmer in 1963. That was the first year the competition was extended from two days to three days.
Frankly, I hope Bradley achieves this lofty goal. His play at the API won’t hurt, but there’s more to it than that. Bradley is playing well. He’s made all five cuts this year, with his best showing a tie for sixth at the Sony Open in Hawaii – the second tournament of the season.What a story it’d be if he can select himself to play against those Europeans!
It’d give a new storyline to the Ryder Cup, which has been dominated by the Euros in recent years. Bradley badly wanted his chance to be the U.S. captain but was initially rejected. Tiger Woods was expected to get the job but, apparently, Woods turned it down and Bradley was promptly told the captaincy would be his.
Bradley has been a decent Ryder Cup player, going 4-3-0 in his matches. Now 38, he’s still in his prime as a competitor. He has seven career PGA Tour wins, $48 million in career prize money in a pro career that started in 2008, a major title (the 2011 PGA Championship) and a fiery temperament ideal for igniting a team that failed miserably when Zach Johnson was its leader in Europe in 2023. Why shouldn’t this guy give himself a playing spot if his results deem him worthy.
The American gallery won’t have trouble supporting him. He struggled in his third round at Bay Hill, but made a birdie at the ninth hole that ignited the crowd. Chants of “USA! USA! USA!’’ resonated loudly, and Bradley urged them to keep it up.
A few more things about Bradley. He comes from good genes. His father was a golf professional and his aunt, Pat Bradley, was one of the LPGA greats and a World Golf Hall of Famer. He’s got a wife and two kids more than willing to cheer him on, too. Bradley expected them to head home to Vermont when he left for his Sunday tee time.
They didn’t. Jillian kept the crew around and Keegan rewarded them.
“I was proud of the way I played,’’ said Bradley.“My kids are my good luck charm.’’
Russell Henley (left) and Collin Morikawa endured a stressful time on the 18th tee before the API was decided.
The weather may suggest otherwise, but the Chicago golf season is ready to tee off.
