THE SCHAUMBURG GOLF CLUB and Academy, located at 401 N. Roselle Road, is now open year round with the addition of new state of the art golf simulators. While golfing, getting a lesson or fitting, why not enjoy food and drinks from Chandlers Chop House located right upstairs, see Schaumburggolf.com or call (847)-885-9000. McQ’s DOME on Rt. 53 in Bolingbrook is one of the area’s premier golf domes, but add on an OTB to play the horses, a great restaurant, and a new hotdog and drink bar right behind the tee line. Get your game ready for 2017, get to McQ’s Dome. Mcqsdome.com            _____________________________________________________________________

The Gog Blog by Rory Spears, Editor and Director of Content. Follow Rory to the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, and on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter @GogBlogGuy.

IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR, for most people in the golf industry to really launch the 2017 golf season.

Over 40,000 people will attend the four-day show, with one day at the Orange County Driving Range for demo day, and then three days in the convention center. Where attendee’s will see just about every product on the golf market today and maybe some that are hoping to be very soon.

BIG 3 Partner Len Ziehm and I will be in Orlando, with Tim Cronin back in Chicago minding the fort on the local front. Ziehm and will check in with our podcast reports during the show on multiple days.

Rory Spears with Len Ziehm at demo day during the 2016 PGA Merchandise Show.

I know that Len and I have already received about a 100 emails each with everything going on at the show. We will spend Monday night at the new Ziehm Florida estate planning our show coverage strategy.

What I do know is there will be plenty of things to see, and both this website and Lenziehmongolf.com will have plenty of material to write about in the weeks ahead. So stay clicked in with all the partners for all the latest updates. At some point during the show, The Golf Channel will air a one-hour TV special, watch local listings for times and dates.

In Dueces the new bar behind the 18th green at the Pinehurst Resort and Country Club, with Pinehurst Presdient Tom Pashley. Pinehurst has hit a Home Run with creation of Dueces. See Pinehurst.com for details.

After starting the winter trip at the French Lick Resort, home of the new 2017 Sr. LPGA Championship this July, I continued on to Pinehurst where it’s always a beautiful day.

It’s been a great place to open the 2017 golf season with three rounds and 54 holes of golf. Starting the year on Pinehurst #2 was asking a bit much from my golf game after 2 months off, but I’ll take the seven pars I made and try to improve the rest of the year.

Since then I moved over to Southern Pines, and have enjoyed two days of play and stay at Talamore and the Mid-South Club. Both are very good and should be on golfers hit lists. The lodge at the Mid-South Club is about as good as it gets for golf stays. I’ll have more on both clubs in the next couple of days.

The front entrance to the clubhouse at The Pit is overgrown, but it might see life again.

THE PIT Golf Course in Aberdeen, just a couple of miles down the road from the main part of the Pinehurst Resort has been closed for almost 7 years but…

This Dan Maples design could live again according to Pinehurst Resort President Tom Pashley. The Pit was orginally opened in 1985, but closed about 25 years later and was sold, and then sold again to the Pinehurst Resort.

More often than not, The Pit is referred to as a golf course that many golfers who played it, wish was still open. Could it happen again, maybe so. Probably not as The Pit, but maybe as Pinehurst #10. Tomorrow hear our interview with Pashley as he talks about The Pit, and the fact that Ben Crenshaw-Bill Coore and quite often Pinehurst Owner and CEO Bob Dedman have been out there walking the property. Stay clicked in to hear about my visit to The Pit, as I walked several of the old holes this past weekend.

The last few days since being on the road has really got me fired up for the show and the golf season ahead, I hope as you hit the domes, watch the pro’s on TV, or watch the golf show special later this week, you too will start getting excited about golf season.

With that it’s off to Florida and some even warmer weather. Stay clicked in. RS.