THE NEW PUTTING GREEN at The Shack Golf Club-1717 Chestnut Ave. in Glenview. The Shack has seven simulators and a great bar-where Arnie will always join you. So book your bay today at TheShackGolfClub.com where the golf season has just gotten longer. AT THE SHACK you can get lessons or club fittings, so call (847)-904-2905.

THE GOG BLOG by RORY SPEARS, Director of Content and Creation for Golfers on Golf. Follow Rory on Twitter-X or connect at LinkedIn/Facebook/Instagram. Rory on the new Pinehurst #10 course.

SO DO ADD to your 2025 golf wish list.

Playing new golf courses.

Recently I saw a column by one of my playing partners at Pinehurst #10 earlier this year Jason Lusk, who writes for Golfweek Magazine.

Lusk suggested that playing different courses, is one of the keys to enjoying golf.

Lusk is on to something. Because I know I have had a friend tell me, he would play more golf, he he got to play more of the golf courses I play as I travel around the country. He said it gets boring playing the same course or same few courses all the time. I agree.

The bar is open at the Mistwood Golf Dome on Rt. 53 in Bolingbrook. So book a hitting bay with Toptracer golf today at (630)-739-7600 or at Mistwoodgolfdome.com.

PLAYING A VARIETY of courses does several different things.

It gives you new challenges to test your golf game. You play different yardages, you hit different types of shots.

Green speeds are different, bunkers and the sand in them are different.

Some courses have deeper rough, faster fairways, more trees or less trees. Water or no water, some have lakes, ponds or just creeks. Courses that provide plenty of risk reward, always a great test. Longer par-3’s, par-4’s or par-5’s. Maybe a few shorter ones.

So the bottom line is-variety. Some call it the “spice of life”, but trying out new golf courses really is a good thing.

But when I say this, I’m not saying you need to quit the club you have a membership at. Keep your membership card, and keep paying your monthly dues.

MOVE AROUND- but if your asking to where, for many that’s something which isn’t hard to do. But if your in a more remote area, yes it’s a little harder to do. So what do you do.

TRAVEL. Which may or may not include getting on a plane. It might or might not mean getting in a car and driving several hours. It does not mean you have to go pay top dollar at a fancy resort, even though it could. The road trip could mean traveling with the guys, or the gals.

But for many golfers some of the best golf trips are ones where you just bounce from course to course, in an area that has several choices to pick from.

During this year in spite of my health issues I played about 13 new golf courses. I do include Medinah #3, that I played before. But with all the changes during the renovation, it’s practically a new golf course.

SO WHETHER YOU JUST TRAVEL or create a “Bucket List” do add some new courses to your play list in 2025. You will be glad you did. My list of best new courses will be out later in the week. RS