MISTWOOD GOLF DOME will be holding it’s annual Birdies and Brews Tournament on Toptracer Saturday night December 10th at 7 PM. Sign ups are now underway. But you can book a hitting bay a week in advance. See Mistwoodgolfdome.com (630)-739-7600

THE GOG BLOG by RORY SPEARS, Director of Content and Creation for Golfers on Golf. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy or connect on LinkedIn and Facebook..

CYBER MONDAY is here.

So if your looking to do your shopping online, today is the day to do it.

There are plenty of online deals that are now available which vanish tonight at midnight.

So don’t be afraid to jump online and get a present for yourself, or your favorite golfer.

There are plenty of deals on golf gifts and not just on golf clubs. You can find just about anything golf wise-on sale today-online.

BUT IF YOU ARE STILL LOOKING for golf ideas for the holidays, I will have plenty more coming up the rest of the week.

So do stay clicked in right here.

Its good to see that the new Stonedrift Spa at Eagle Ridge is finally open. The spa was supposed to have opened in July, but supply chain issues that have plagued so many industries, pushed opening day for the spa back over 100 days. But to see more about the spa and Eagle Ridge, visit EagleRidge.com and see the Cyber Monday deals.

ON THE RESORT SCENE-one of my favorite places is Innisbrook Resort in Tarpon Springs Florida. Home of the Valspar Championship on the PGA Tour, today it has discounts of up to 40%. But you must book your stay by tonight. Innisbrookresort.com. Play where the pro’s play-on the Copperhead Golf Course home of the snake pit.

SQAIRZ GOLF SHOES are now the best golf shoes I have ever used on the golf course.

My list of brands I have previously used, is a long one. It started when I took up the game playing in gym shoes.

But then I got spikes, real metal spikes, remember when you could wear them-those were the days.

My list continued with Hush-Puppy golf shoes, then Dexter golf shoes, from there I moved on to FootJoy and wore them for years. But after the years of the waterproofing failing, and the shoelaces repeated untying, not to mention the blisters especially on newer pairs. Enter New Balance and Adidas. New Balance is really comfortable and the traction is good, so it would take something special for me to quit using New Balance.

While I am an everyday Adidas guy, their golf shoes are lacking. The pair of Boost Shoes I got, I wore for 1 day. The sole was too thin for me, and the spikes felt like they were coming through the bottom of the shoe. So I need to make another change.

But then came Sqairz, and at first Sqairz was solid, but they were a heavy shoe, with a toe that looked like I was an NFL place kicker in the 1970’s. That’s all changed. While the original Sqairz shoe had promise, such as traction, much better shoelaces, and my feet stayed dry inside the shoe on wet days, style and weight needed some adjustment.

SO EARLY THIS YEAR it did. Sqairz 2022 is not your Sqairz of 2020. Style and weight changed, and the new Speed style is what I’m wearing now. They have more comfort than my previous pair, are a little more sleek and stylish. So if you need new golf shoes in 2023, try Sqairz and visit Sqairzgolf.com they will make a difference and your feet will enjoy them.

IF YOUR THINKING about a simulator for your home or business, now is the time to do some serious shopping.

BUT BEFORE YOU BUY, make sure you visit GimmieSimulators.com

Because right now though the end of the 2022 calendar year, you can save over $7,100 on the GCHawk complete golf simulator package.

At $26,799 this is the years best price. So if a simulator is an option for you, it’s time to do your research before 2023 gets here. Gimmie Simulators, of ACE Indoor Golf, and SkyTrak IN-A-BOX-PACKAGE comes with great savings now through the end of the year. See GimmieSimulators.com for when you need to bring your game home.

OLYMPIA FIELDS COUNTRY CLUB is fixing up it’s 11th hole on the South Course by moving over a tree from the 6th hole on the South Course.

This is not a surprise but. Word on the street the club spent in the neighborhood of $250K to make the move. One tree-$250,000 that’s interesting.

During most renovation projects I am a supporter of taking out trees. The number removed depends on multiple factors. Are trees, sick, damaged, in danger of coming down, or really infringing on the fairways, obstructing tee shots, or deflecting approach shots into the green.

When tree branches hang over the fairways, there needs to be major trimming or a removal. When trees are very close together and are choking each other, for water or soil nutrients, one or two trees need to come out. Because when you have grass area’s where you can never grow grass. Take out some trees, let in the sun and increase the air-flow. When parts of your tee boxes can’t be used because of branches hanging out in the hitting corridor, cut them down. It’s not really fun hitting through the uprights to find the fairway.

OLYMPIA FIELDS SOUTH COURSE is really good old time Parkland classic golf course. It’s 11th hole is a short par 4. IT HAD 1 massive tree right in the middle of the fairway, that brought strategy into the tee shot. But after a storm damaged the tree, it had to come down. The result= a very easy and nothing hole. So now a tree has been moved into the prior position of the former tree, apparently at the cost of around $250,000. OUCH!

I won’t judge the move just yet, I want to see it in person next year first. But perhaps a bigger tree topic on the South Course is, the massive removal of the trees that are coming down on numerous holes. Plenty of members seem upset that the character of the South Course is being ripped out by the roots. I’ll have more to say when I see things firsthand-likely at some point in 2023.

THE 2023 BMW Championship will be played in August on the clubs North Course.

SPEAKING OF TREE’S several people who have driven past Medinah Country Club in recent weeks tell me there have plenty of tree’s taken down as part of the renovation on Course #3. I’m looking forward to seeing more of what’s happening at Medinah as well.

OVER A MONTH BACK there were reports of Augusta National Golf Club being under investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ). But then not much since other than some photo’s of the new look to the Par-3 course and the lengthened 13th hole.

THE GOG BLOG Returns all week with more stories and holiday gift ideas. RS