The Buffalo Grove Golf & Sports Center at 801 McHenry Road, 1/2 mile West of Buffalo Grove Road. Hours are 9 Am to 10 Pm Mon-Fri., Saturday 7 Am to 10 Pm and Sunday from 7 Am to 8 Pm. Rates start at just $11 for 30 minutes weekdays before 6 Pm, it’s not late for the 5-Hour Pass, just $85.00. Call (847)-459-2321 to schedule lessons with Todd Sones, Kristy Vik, or John Andrews. The BGG & SC now in it’s 15th season of serving area golfers.

       BY: Rory Spears, Editor & Director of Content. Follow Rory on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter @GogBlogGuy.

David Graham spoke at the media luncheon at Gibson’s on Friday.

The 32nd Chicago Golf Show is in the 19th hole, and it was a great weekend. The Chicago area golfers turned out in force especially on Saturday to see World Golf Hall of Famer Lee Trevino, and incoming Hall of Famer David Graham.

Trevino overcame his flight being cancelled three times on Friday, to still arrive in Chicago on Saturday to still do his two performances on the main stages. I will post the Trevino media segment coming up this week. Trevino and Graham packed the main stage area. Their segments on stage saw fans completely fill the seating area, and still have another 100+ in the standing room area.

I spoke with Graham on Friday, and covered a few topics with him including Merion Golf Club where he won his U.S. Open and more.

Click here to hear my interview with David Graham from the Chicago Golf Show.

           The Illinois PGA had a strong presence at the show, and again this year the FREE golf lessons were a big hit with show-goers. (L-R) Pro’s Hans Larson of Westmoreland C.C. and Patrick Lynch of Cantigny Golf were among the professionals giving lessons. On the right Westmoreland C.C. assistant professional Frank Hohenadel and other IPGA pro’s give lessons to golfers looking for a few tips. A tip of the cap or golf visor to all the hard work by the Illinois PGA section professionals.

The BMW Championship Trophy was on display at the show.

The BMW Championship was kind enough to bring out both of the trophies the champion will win this September at Conway Farms. The final round will be played on Sunday September 21st.

This July the Encompass Championship will return to the North Shore C.C. in Glenview. Yes, I did say July because there are new dates this year.

However Encompass CEO Tom Ealy did confirm to Golfers on Golf that 2015 will be the last year for Encompass to sponsor the championship. The tournament board has already begun a search of companies to become the new sponsor. Whether or not the championship would need a new golf course is still in the air. North Shore C.C. is still deciding on a potential major renovation the entire club, and especially the golf course.

Addisonparks.org 880 West Lake Street (630)-233-7275 Ext. 4

The Gog Blog hears that an Oak Brook area golf course will undergo a renovation in 2016. Stay tuned for details.

The show had booth’s from the U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields coming this August, and from the Palmer Cup and the Western Amateur both of which will be played at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove.

It was good to see the local courses that showed up and had a booth. Shepherd’s Crook in Zion, Cog Hill in Lemont, the Billy Casper courses that also offered show attendees a round of free golf, Makray Memorial in Barrington, Mistwood in Romeoville, and a few more.

The Midwest contingent of courses and resorts gave golfers plenty of destination golf courses to check out.

The Forest Dunes Golf Club in Roscommon Michigan, has Tom Doak creating a unique new design.

The routing for both designs of the new Tom Doak course at Forest Dunes Golf Club in Roscommon Michigan were on display.

It’s a golf course that will be played both backwards and forwards, fun times when this course opens in fall of 2016.

A new course will get built in the Upper Michigan Peninsula area, near the Sweetgrass Golf Course. Details are unfolding.

There was three days of great golf talk, enough deals, discounted clubs and golf tip trips to plan, to have every golfer charged up for the season ahead.

Congrats to show owner Tom Corcoran and his staff for another great show, hopefully the temperatures will rise and snow will begin to melt. In the meantime hit the golf domes and be ready for April. Golf season is coming, be ready. RS