BENTON HARBOR, MI. – There’s been no shortage of projects, equipment or promotional efforts designed to create more golfers, but I’ve seen none better than the Wee Course — a facility built beside the Harbor Shores Resort in the Southwestern Michigan community. In this case Wee means a short course, but one that encourages play…
Features
Local tournament performances made up for a tough U.S. Open
Last week’s erf Open was a rousing success for champion Wyndham Clark, but not for Illinois-connected players. Only Adrien Dumont deChassart, who attended the University of Illinois, and Dylan Wu, a Northwestern alum, survived the 36-hole cut at Shinnecock Hills and neither was among the top 50 finishers. Amateur competition within the Chicago area was…
The Landings will wow golfers with its numbers in Savannah
SAVANNAH, Ga. – The International Network of Golf scheduled its Spring Forum at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club. While it was a much different venue than the ones used in the past, the decision to go to The Landings was a good one for lots of reasons. A key word in describing…
The Landings makes this ING event even more special
SAVANNAH, GA. — Spring Forums were a fixture on the yearly calendar for the International Network of Golf starting in 1991. The first three were held in Hilton Head, S.C., and that’s not far from this week’s version in Savannah, Ga. This Spring Forum is different from all the others, though. The ING contingent…
JDC’s defending champion is playing through some pain
Brian Campbell is a month away from defending his title in the John Deere Classic, but a lot has happened to the University of Illinois alum since his playoff win over Emiliano Grillo last year at TPC Deere Run in downstate Silvis. The win there was his first on the PGA Tour, at the 2025…
BOOK REPORT: An All-Star contribution to baseball history
Randall Sullivan’s “The First All-Star Game’’ (Atlantic Monthly Press) is aptly named. It is the story of the first baseball game between the stars of the National and American leagues that was played in 1933 at Chicago’s Comiskey Park. (As you might guess we’re venturing away from golf again to spotlight some outstanding writing…
This original Donald Ross `masterpiece’ has been revitalized
DUNEDIN, FL. – Course renovations are commonplace in golf, but the one recently completed at Dunedin Golf Club was far from the ordinary. You don’t just tinker around with one of Donald Ross’ original designs – and this one is even much more than one of those. Ross did his work creating the course…
McNeilly brings a new look to the Golf Travel Writers of America
ORLANDO, FL — The Golf Travel Writers of America underwent a leadership change this year, with George McNeilly taking over as its president. GTWA is a professional organization for golf travel writers, editors, broadcasters and other media professionals who focus on covering golf destinations and the broader golf travel industry. Its mission is to…
Illini alum Detry makes the most of his LIV debut
Thomas Detry was a stalwart on some of coach Mike Small’s powerhouse teams at the University of Illinois, but he was in a more interesting position as a touring pro over the weekend. Detry figured to be defending championship in the Waste Management Phoenix Open, one of the most popular PGA Tour events, until he…
The ’75 U.S. Open at Medinah was something special
THIS COLUMN WAS NAMED THE WINNER OF THE 2025 INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF GOLF MEDIA AWARDS IN THE FEATURE WRITING CATEGORY. IT APPEARED IN THE JUNE ISSUE OF THE CHICAGO DISTRICT GOLFER IN 2025. This month marks the 50th anniversary of Medinah Country Club’s second U.S. Open. The first was in 1949 when Cary…