Pinehurst Resort has kept up with the times golf-wise since its opening in 1895, and our regular visits over the last 20 years have described the many new things that Pinehurst has contributed to the golf world. It goes far beyond the big tournaments that have been played there. This time, though, our report on…
Features
History-rich Downers Grove, Tam O’Shanter have found ways to survive
The Downers Grove and Tam O’Shanter golf courses, once among the most famous in the United States, aren’t what they used to be. Both, though, are proof of that time-worn adage – “You CAN teach an old dog new tricks.’’ Downers Grove was, back in 1892, the America’s first 18-hole course. It – or at…
Medinah’s Johns triggered the creation of IPGA’s Birdies for Charity
The Illinois PGA’s Birdies for Charity event is one of those things that was good from the start and keeps getting better. That’ll be underscored again on Sept. 4 when the event is held for the eighth time at River Forest Country Club in Elmhurst. Birdies for Charity involves golf professionals playing 72 holes in…
Jim Sobb is a golf professional with a great record as a player as well
Jim Sobb’s playing record speaks for itself. The 30-year director of golf at Ivanhoe Club won eight of the Illinois PGA’s four major tournaments, including the IPGA Championship three times. He also won nine of the section’s Senior majors, and this month he’ll go after his sixth title in the IPGA Senior Championship. He has…
After an array of upgrades historic Tam O’Shanter is thriving again
Six decades ago the Tam O’Shanter Country Club in suburban Chicago was among the most famous golf courses in the world. It was owned by George S. May back then, and May was a man far ahead of his time when it came to golf promotion. Tam O’Shanter opened in 1925. May took ownership in…
Did Patrick Flavin attempt a `Mission Impossible?’
Last year Highwood’s Patrick Flavin did something very special, winning both the Illinois State Amateur and Illinois Open. No player had won both in the same year since David Ogrin did it in 1980. This year Flavin will try to do something even more special. He’ll try to repeat in both. No player has ever…
Aldeen’s French enjoys his reign as king of Illinois PGA Assistants
There are plenty of good players among the assistant professionals in the Illinois IPGA. That’s why Chris French’s domination of the 2017 Assistants Player of the Year race is so impressive. French, one of two assistants under director of golf operations Duncan Geddes at Aldeen Golf Club in Rockford, accumulated 3,139.9 points in last year’s…
Can Langer continue his domination in Senior Players tourney?
If ever there was a player who could dominate a tournament it’d be Bernhard Langer at the Constellation Senior Players Championship. The 60-year old German star won the tournament in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and finished second to Scott McCarron last year. Langer will try to get back on the winning side when the 36th…
North Carolina’s Balsam Mountain Preserve will knock it out of the park
There was never a doubt about the beauty of Balsam Mountain Preserve, a private club located in the hills of Western North Carolina. The abundant views of Doubletop Mountain made the site attractive to – among others — the Arnold Palmer Design company, which built one of the most visually stunning mountain courses in the…
This Illinois PGA pro is also in graduate school at Northwestern
A golf professional’s job is never an easy one. Some inevitably wind up working harder than others, however. And then there’s Tony Semonick. Semonick, 28, has worked on head professional Jim Sobb’s staff at Ivanhoe Club since his graduation from Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich., in 2012. His work days aren’t like any…