THE GOG BLOG by RORY SPEARS, Editor and Director of Content. Follow Rory to the French Lick Resort, and on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter @GogBlogGuy.

  MCQ’S DOME on Rt. 53 in Bolingbrook, your home for indoor golf practice. McQ’s is part of Mistwood Golf, so their professional staff is at the dome for lessons and fittings. New this year is the hotdog and drink bar behind the tee line. Play the horses in the OTB, enjoy the new menu in the restaurant. McQ’s Dome your one stop place for fun and golf all winter long. See MCQ’SDOME.com.THE SCHAUMBURG GOLF CLUB is now a year round golf faciltiy, new top of line simulators make playing golf at the club a reality. Now you can play Top 100 courses from around the world, while enjoying the best in food and beverage from Chandlers Chop House right upstairs. Located at 401 N. Roselle Road, minutes from Woodfield, Schaumburggolf.com or call (847)-885-9000. ______________________________________________________________________

The volcano bunkers on the Pete Dye Course at the French Lick Resort. Play the Dye Course and visit Frenchlick.com.

It’s been an amazing three weeks, and the winter trip has run longer than ever before. But anytime someone can get out of Chicago for three weeks in the dead of winter you do it.

With 12 rounds of golf under my belt already in 2017, I now know where I need to work on my game by the time spring arrives in Chicago and our local courses open.

I still have a few more stories to post from the PGA Merchandise Show, and stories about a few more of the destination properties I visited. I start the last day of the trip where the first day of it ended, at the French Lick Resort in of course, French Lick Indiana, home of the LPGA Legends Sr. Players Championship this July. Go to Frenchlick.com. #Visitfrenchlick.

Former Medinah Country Club caddie Brendan Sweeney is the Director of Golf Marketing for the French Lick Resort, which is the presenting sponsor for the Chicago Golf Show Feb. 24-26 in Rosemont

I had great visits to, or stays at the following places. French Lick Resort, the Talamore-Mid South Club and Resort in Southern Pines, the Pinehurst Resort, the new home of Len Ziehm on Golf in the PGA Village of Port St. Lucie, the Innisbrook Golf Resort in Palm Harbor Florida, the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, The Palmetto Dunes Resort, and the Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. The Pine Needles and Mid-Pines Resort in Southern Pines North Carolina.

Special thanks to good people along the way for their help, Len Ziehm and Joy Sarver, Jeff and Nancy Rutter, Ramona Herald RHI PR, Doug Schmidt Innisbrook, Martin Armas and Armas PR, Tom Pashley, Jack Bickart and Alex Podlogar at Pinehurst, Augie Tonne of Kemper Lakes GC and John Farrell at Sea Pines, Dan Sheppard and Andy DeKeuster at Buffalo Brand PR, Sherry Major at the PGA Merchandise Show, Melanie Garbo, Dick and Mary Ann McCrary, Larry Spalla, Jerry Rich, Wayne Kearney, and Brendan Sweeney at the French Lick Resort. Not to mention the many great people I met at the PGA Show, Staying out on the road to find out everything golf for 2017 takes some work and planning with many different people, again my thanks to everyone.

              Pineneedles-Midpines.com                           PalmettoDunesResort.com                       THE NCAA’S see NCAA.Com/tickets                       Innisbrookresort.com

      The Lighthouse at Harbour Town Seapines.com        Pinehurst.com 2017 USGA 4-Ball

  KPMG CHAMPIONSHIP JUNE OF 2017      KPMG CHAMPIONSHIP JUNE OF 2018

               Talamoregolfresort.com                                     Midsouthclub.com

   PGAresort.com PGA Resort and Spa                             Midpines.com

Yes there are plenty of great golf destination properties to visit, start by putting a few on your bucket list. This year there are some great championships to attend in Illinois, start by getting your tickets today. In Wisconsin not far away, there is a rare appearence by the U.S. Open this June at Erin Hills.

I’ll start wrapping up show stories tomorrow, and don’t forget the Tinley Park Golf Show this weekend at the Tinley park Convention Center, Rt. 80 and Harlem Avenue. The show tee’s off Friday at Noon. The Chicago Golf Show in Rosemont, Feb. 24-26 presented by the French Lick Resort and glossy program by Chicagoland Golf.

Stay clicked in, the trip is over but like Len Ziehm would add, I still have a lot to say. RS