BY: RORY SPEARS ASSISTANT                 EDITOR & SR. WRITER

CDGA.ORG

It’s not often that someone or something turns 100, these days most people don’t last 100 years. Many businesses that have been around close to 100 years, seem to be closing their doors.

But that wasn’t the case on Friday night, as the golf community of Chicago was out in force for a special event.

The Chicago District Golf Association (CDGA) had a great night, not only were the CDGA folks from over the years there in person, but golf in Chicago was there too. There was strong representation from the Illinois PGA, the Western Golf Association, the Illinois Junior Golf Association.  Women’s golf, and organizations like Revelation Golf that help veterans rehabilitate through golf.

KemperSports Management, Jemsek Golf, Rich Harvest Farms, Medinah Country Club, Olympia Fields Country Club all had good sizes groups. The cream of the crop of the Chicago golf media was even on hand as well.

USGA.COM

The night’s special guests and featured speakers came from the United States Golf Association.

USGA President Tom O’Toole and USGA Executive Director Mike Davis were both on hand, showing how much this evening meant for the game the golf. Both O’Toole and Davis spoke about the great relationship between the USGA and the CDGA.

The main dinner at the Palmer House Hilton.

if you went to the dinner not knowing a lot about the history of golf in Chicago, you should have learned a thing or two before you left.

The dinner had several speakers and the MC was WGN-TV’s Dan Roan, who not only plays some good golf himself, but recorded a hole in one this year in Kohler on the 4th hole of the River Course.

CDGA Executive Director Robert Markioni started off the post dinner speeches, he was the first of several. O’Toole and Davis wrapped it up, and then both came back up front for a Q & A with Roan and questions from the audience. Before the dinner started there was a cocktail hour, and O’Toole and Davis did a media session with CDGA TV, the CDGA Magazine, and with Golfers on Golf. Those interviews will be run on this site coming up this week.

During the dinner the CDGA did announce that they had added 15 years to lease they have with Jemsek Golf on the property where the CDGA offices are located across the street from Cog Hill. There is now a 50 year lease in place between Jemsek Golf and the CDGA,

Prior to the dinner, CDGA Executive Director Robert Markioni spoke about the past and a little about what could be the future of golf in Chicago.

Congratulations to the CDGA on a special evening, and it’s 100 years.