THE PALMER CUP Coming next week to Rich Harvest Farms June 12-13-14, practice rounds on the 11th. See team USA and Team Europe battle it out in this event named for Arnold Palmer, Walk the Fairways with the players (no ropes), Free admission and free parking. Come see the famous Rich Harvest Farms Golf Course, in advance of the Western Amateur and UL International Crown in 2016. Visit Palmercup.org for more information, or Richarvestfarms.com.                                                                                  ——————————————————————————————————————–

THE GOG BLOG BY RORY SPEARS, Editor & Director of Content. Follow Rory on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter @GogBlogGuy.

Who can ever forget Payne Stewart, and his first major championship win in 1989, The PGA Championship at Kemper Lakes.

In 1989 the PGA Championship came to town, and a legend was born. Payne Stewart marching the fairways of the Kemper Lakes Golf Club in his Bears Colors and logo’s, came from behind on Sunday to overtake Mike Reid and win his first of three major titles.

But ten years before that day, a public course opened in the middle of Lake County. Green fees were higher than most public courses, but the word got out about what the course was like, and golfers started heading there by the car load. Jim Kemper of Kemper Insurance had created his high-end public and daily fee golf course, and it was a success. To this day some people will tell you that it started the high end public course building-boom, that ran through the Chicago area until 9-11 hit in 2001.

The green complex on the par 5 15th hole at Kemper Lakes, the water is in full view again.

But after hosting a PGA Championship multiple Grand Slam’s of Golf, Illinois PGA events and Illinois Opens, PGA Champions Tour events, USGA Championships, and Web.com tour events (as it’s called now), things changed at Kemper Lakes.

The professional and top level amateur tournaments quit coming, the best elite corporate outings found other homes. Then in time the golf course and it’s style of bunkers, tee’s, and more started to show it’s age. It’s look fell out style and Kemper Lakes could not command the top dollar it once did. Change then came in the form of ownership after Jim Kemper passed on, and in 2003 the course was sold, and in 2006 the new ownership group made the club a private course.

The Par 3, 3rd hole is the first water challenge of the round.

With plans to improve the golf course, membership was quickly at half of the planned 300 members. Little-by-little the club grew to over 250 members, and now there aren’t many memberships still available.

As the club grew the plan to renovate the golf course started to come together, and in 2012 the plan to renovate the bunkers was begun. After three years of work by architect Rick Jacobson and his team, that plan is complete. By having the plan done over three years, the course did not have to close down.

The Par 3, 6th hole has a new look, from the bunker renovation plan.

“Our owners committed the funds and hired Rick Jacobson to redo the bunkers,” said John Hosteland, the Club’s General Manager. ” It was a three-year plan so not to disrupt play for the members. Those renovations are now complete, and it’s been a seamless transformation into a premier championship venue that we believe is once again ready for the best players in the world.”

Hosteland added,” this summer we’ll be welcoming golf media and various golf governing bodies out to visit Kemper Lakes. We are calling this our “Restore the Roar” initiative, if there is a chance to bring a national tournament to Kemper Lakes, we’re ready.”

The Par 4 12th hole, is the only hole on the course without sand bunkers.

While bunker work is done, the entire master plan created by the club is not quite there yet.

There are several new tee boxes that will be built, and when they are complete the total yardage should measure over 7,500 yards. Kemper Lakes currently sits at 7,217 yards from the tips.

Some of the holes that will see the creation of new tee boxes include, the Par 4, 9th hole could move back to about 480 yards from it’s current 448. The Par 3, 13th hole will see new tee boxes from both Left and Right angles. The Par 4, 14th hole will have it’s tee box pushed back and elevated.

   (Above) What the Par 4, 14th hole should look like from the tee, and new approach already in place to the green. The very long over 100 yard bunker that once sat running down the left side of the fairway is gone, but a new sandy nest has been created.

Holes 15 and 16 will see some new tee boxes added, those will challenge golfers. With trees being removed behind the current 15th tee box, the new back tee will now play from 620 instead of 578. A new back tee on one of Chicago’s most demanding par 4 holes the 16th, will move back almost into the water behind the 15th green and bring the par 4 up to near 500 yards. A few other holes could have new tee’s put in as well.

The green complex on the par 4th ninth hole.

The new white tour sand has given the course a fresh look, one that has the word tournament written all over it.

Coming up later this summer, the club plans to find a name for it’s group of closing holes. Kind of like the “Bear Trap ” at PGA National or the “Snake Pit” at Innisbrook on the Copperhead golf course. Something along the lines of “Payne’s Point” could be created for the group of final holes.

Another step that the club will undertake is, the creation of a championship committee to help bring a championship to Kemper Lakes. What type of championship would the club like, at this point they are only ready to start looking at options should they come from golf’s governing bodies.

But one this that is certain, Kemper Lakes is back in the championship mode for tournament golf. It is time to, “Restore the Roar.”