The Knollwood Club of Lake Forest will host the 113th Western Am coming August 1-6, admission and parking are free, See WGAESF.org. Arlington Lakes in Arlington Hts. is now open from renovation after 13 months. Tee times at (847)-577-3030 call today. ______________________________________________________________________
THE GOG BLOG by Rory Spears, Editor and Director of Content. Follow Rory on facebook, Linkedin and Twitter @GogBlogGuy. In the 16th fairway at Glen Dornach in Myrtle Beach.
Happy 4th of July everyone, I hope all the golfers are out enjoying the deals the courses are offering today, before you head out to the fireworks.
A couple of area courses are offering golf at $17.76 today, sounds like a great promotion to me.
I should be back posting more often now that my computer is back from ABT. Special thanks to everyone there on getting it back to me days early and for a much better price that was anticipated. There is plenty to get caught up on.
From behind the flag on the 5th hole at Sand Valley, up to the tee box.
It has been an amazing last two weeks. It started back around the time Dustin Johnson was winning his first major championship at Oakmont inspite of the USGA.
I headed out to Rome Wisconsin home of Mike Keiser’s Sand Valley Golf Resort, and found 18 great golf holes designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore. I played the 13 of them that were open, you can play all 18 of them later this fall when the courses opens. The drive up is about 3 hours and 45 minutes from the O’Hare area. Faster if you are west of Schaumburg.
From there, I returned and headed off to Ackerman Hills Golf Club on the Purdue Campus that has just reopened from a Pete Dye renovation. Ackerman Hills along with the Birick Boilermaker Course, give the Purdue campus 36 holes of great golf. Well worth the 2 1/2 hour drive from the Chicago area. Faster if you are in the south burbs.
MYRTLE BEACH thanks to Chris King and all the people at Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday who helped our Golfers on Golf Radio do our first live remote from outside the local area. Mike Munro, Ed Stevenson, Bill Berger and myself played 54 holes of Myrtle Beach Golf and broadcast our show from the Tidewater Plantation Golf Club. If your in Myrtle Beach add Tidewater to your hit list.
YES MICHIGAN I headed north to upper Michigan to play the new Loop Courses at Forest Dunes in Roscommon Michigan a 5 1/2 drive from the Chicago area. Tom Doak has done a wonderful job on this concept of a reversable golf course. Make the drive and see which one you like better. The new lodging on property in the lodge or in the newer villas is outstanding. The orginal Forest Dunes course is still a Top 100 on a few national lists, and after playing it for the fourth time I agree.
GRAND TRAVERSE RESORT the 7+ million spent by the resort on the room renovations in the tower was well spent. The rooms are outstanding, especially when you can enjoy them and a view from the upper floors.
I had a view of the club house and the Bear Course done by of course Jack Nicklaus, the course has had some tweaks done on it. I feel the Bear is ready to come out of hibernation and host another tournament again. It would be a great fit for the Sr. PGA with the championship already having a Michigan based sponsor in Kitchen-Aid.
TOMORROW is media day at the Merit Club for the UL International Crown, full report on the club that’s hosting a big championship for the first time in 16 years in just 2 weeks.
ENJOY THE 4TH, and stay clicked in. I’m back and with a lot to say. RS