THE SCHAUMBURG GOLF CLUB has become a year-round golf facility with the addition of it’s state-of-the-art simulator facility. Top 100 courses along with 2018 Ryder Cup venue Le Golf National and 2020 Ryder Cup venue Whistling Straits are now part of the course options that golfers have, along with TPC Sawgrass home of the famed 17th hole Island green, and the par 3, 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale the most exciting hole on the PGA Tour. For more information see Schaumburggolf.com or call the club at (847)-885-9000. Enjoy great food and drinks from Chandlers Chophouse while playing.  SGC GM Jon Parson’s explains what’s available to golfers visiting the simulator bays.

THE COLD WEATHER IS HERE but the news from the golf world is still coming out fast and furious, here are a few more things from the news front, as I try and catch up with all that is going on. RS

CONGRATULATIONS to Mistwood Golf Club/Dome’s Director of Golf Andy Mickelson on being selected to the Bradley University’s Sports Hall of Fame, his Alma-mater. Mickelson will be inducted during a luncheon at the university on Feb. 1, 2019. Mickelson set school scoring records while being a member of the Braves Men’s golf team.

Erin Hills is holding a pro shop sale from November 23rd through the 26th, all items online are 30% off, no including gift cards. Free shipping is available for orders over $150.00.

In the pro shop. The pro shop is closed now, but reopens on Nov. 26th and stays open though January 4th of 2018. Monday though Friday and Saturday Dec. 8th. All items bought on the 26th of November in person are 30% off. In addition, you can now book tee times and overnight reservations for 2019, the course open on May 6th. (866)-772-4769.

TOP GOLF has opened it’s 50th venue in Pharr Texas, in the Rio Grande area. Top Golf will open a new venue here in Schaumburg Illinois, in late 2019.

SEVEN TIME nominated teacher of the Year award, Chad Johansen will be holding an open house this Saturday morning at 9 AM, at the GOFORIT indoor sports facility in Yorkville, just minutes away from Blackberry Oaks.

If you wish to work on your game this winter, you can do so with Johansen at the facility, now in partnership with the Blackberry Oaks GC and the CJGA.

Blackberry Oaks golf memberships for 2019 are now on sale. You can call the club at (630)-553-7170 and get your membership today. Dates have not ye been set for the 2019 Blackberry Amateur. Visit Blackberryoaks.com for updates.

The university of Illinois wrapped up it’s fall golf season with a T-10th place finish at the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational in Windermere Florida.

Illinois was +13 for the championship, and was lead by Jr. Michael Feagles and Fr. Adrien Dumont de Chassart who tied for 29th place with four over par scores for the three rounds of the tournament.

Vanderbilt was first, 44 shots ahead of the Illini, that left Coach Mike Small unhappy with the fall finish.

“This is a disappointing way to finish off our fall season,” said Small. “We can’t expect to be in contention at a tournament if we start every round the way we did this week. We ran into trouble on the second hole today and it was hard to fight back from that. I saw a lot of positive things this fall season, so we will put this behind us and get down to business. We will take out NCAA-mandated time off and come back in a week and begin our off-season work.”

The Illini will head to Florida in January for the Tinervin Cup and compete at the Big Ten Match Play on Feb. 8th in Florida.

Giovani Tadiotto was named the Big Ten men’s golfer of the week, for the week of October 10th, after leading Illinois with a fourth place finish at the Fighting Irish Classic in South Bend, on the Universities Warren Course that will play host to the 2019 U.S. Sr. Open.

FORMER UNIVERSITY of IOWA head golf coach Charles Zwiener has passed away at age 93. Zwiener was the Hawkeye’s head coach for 32 years (1958-89). He was inducted into the schools HOF in 2001. His graduation rate for players was 100%. He coached 19 players who went on to be PGA of America professionals and 6 that played on the PGA Tour, including Dave Rummells and Guy Boros. He was a medalist at the USGA Men’s Amateur Championship and served as Director of Golf at the Finkbine Golf Course for 33 years.

THE ILLINOIS WOMEN’S TEAM won the University of Louisville’s Cardinal Cup, paced by Kentucky native Tristyn Nowlin who won the tournament at 6 under par. Illinois beat runner-up Big Ten foe Maryland by 19 shots. Nowlin was named Big Ten Player of the Week for her accomplishment. Coach Renee Slone was proud of how her team played in windy conditions. Bing Singhsumalee was T-2 finishing at even par. Singhsumalee a senior, earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors the week after Nowlin, with a T-2, -1 second place finish in Texas at the Trinity Forest Invitational.

Illinois Women’s Team member Freshman Kornkamol Sukaree was named AJGA Second Team All-American for her play over the last season in AJGA events.

NORTHWESTERN FR. DAVID NYFJALL, earned Big Ten Men’s Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks with a win at the UNC-Grandover Collegiate in Greensboro NC.. Nyfjall’s three round total of 211 five under par helped Northwestern to a third-place finish. Nyfjall overcame a six shot final round deficit to win the event.

TPC RIVER’S BEND in Maineville, Ohio will host the 2019 Big Ten Women’s Golf Championships. It will be the third straight year the club has hosted the championship. Michigan State has won the championship the past two years. The clubs GM and Director of Golf Jack Hunter says the club is proud of it’s partnership with the Big Ten Women’s Conference Golf Championship. The private club, an Arnold Palmer design has been recognized as one of the best courses in Ohio nine times by Golf Digest.

BGT Breakthrough Golf announces new partnership with The Duran Group, as U.S. based sales and distribution company. The focus of the partnership is for on course golf facilities and off course fitting retailers. Barney Adams, CEO/Founder of BGT said,” our relationship with the Duran Group is further testament to the growing popularity of the stability shaft (for putters). As putters have grown in size, and weight the shafts for years had not changed. But along came BGT in 2014 to launch new shafts, and to bring a more precise and technological shaft to the market. For more details visit the website at breakthroughgolftech.com.

WE ARE GOLF, that serves as a voice for the game of golf, will take industry leaders around Capitol Hill on May 1st of 2019, the 12th annual National Golf Day. National Golf Day is a celebration of the $84.1 billion dollar economy, and $4 billion annual charitable impact, the many environmental and fitness benefits. The meetings with Members of Congress, the Executive Branch and federal agencies, will cover the games 15,000 diverse businesses, two million jobs impacted, tax revenue creation and tourism value. For more details visit wearegolf.org.

 THE HARBOR SHORES GOLF CLUB in Benton Harbor Michigan home of the 2020 Sr. PGA Championship (L), Medinah C.C. home of the 2019 BMW Championship (R).

THE PGA OF AMERICA has announced that Jeff M. Fettig will serve as the General Chair for the 2020 Sr. PGA Championship at the Harbor Shores Golf Club. Fettig who serves as the Whirlpool Corporation’s chairman of the board of directors, will serve as the ambassador for the championship and help establish the structure for the 1,600 volunteers who will work the championship. Fettig was previously CEO of Whirlpool Corporation from 2004 through 2017, the parent company for the championships  sponsor Kitchen-Aid. Fettig sits on the Indiana University Foundation and on the board of the Kohler Company. For further information on the 2019 Sr. PGA Championship to be played May 21-26 at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester New York, see PGA.org.

THE PATRIOT EDUCATION CLASSIC  will be played on Tuesday May 28th, 2019 at the Medinah Country Club. The charity golf event one of the Chicago’s premier golf charity events, provides scholarships and educational opportunities to veterans and their dependents. Sign up this year and receive a discount. Patrioteducationfund.org.

PART 3 of the Gog News Blog will return this week. RS