THE MISTWOOD GOLF DOME and the SCHAUMBURG GOLF CLUB are year-round golf facilities. Mistwood has changed it’s name, added Toptracer to the golf dome, and redone the Bar & Grill and renamed it McWethys Sportsbar. LPGA veteran Nicole Jeray has joined the professional staff. Mistwood Golf Dome is open daily until 10 PM and is located on Rt. 53 in Bolingbrook. See Mistwoodgolfdome.com or call (630)-739-7600. THE SCHAUMBURG GOLF CLUB has updated it’s simulator bays, and can put you out to play on several TOP 100 courses or Ryder Cup venues. The Schaumburg Golf Club is located on Roselle Road just minutes from Woodfield Mall, and while your golfing why not enjoy the food and beverage from Chandlers Chop House located right upstairs. Do visit schaumburggolf.com or you can call the golf course at (847)-885-9000. #wintergolf   _____________________________________________________________________

THE GOG BLOG by RORY SPEARS, Director of Content and Creation. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy, Linkedin and Facebook. Getting a leg up on 2019 on the Pete Dye Course at the French Lick Resort.

2019 IS HERE and I’m hoping for a great golf season in the 11+ months ahead.

In just one week the winter trip to the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando will begin. I’m looking forward to launching Day 1, with a stop at the French Lick Resort, home of the Sr. LPGA Championship, and a Symetra Tour event.

I’ll check in on the new rooms going up around the casino, that includes a new sports bar. From there it’s off to Pinehurst before getting into Orlando for the show. While in Pinehurst I’ll have reports on courses #2 and #4 as they prepare for the 2019 US-AM coming up in August.

The new Pinehurst Brewery is open and I’m looking forward to that as well, I’ll be a food and beer critic for one night after dining there and testing out some of the menu.

I’ll be checking into plenty of golf stories during the winter trip, and have them for you right here, and some guests will make it on the air with us when Golfers on Golf Radio returns in late March.

This Sunday the first outing of the year tee’s off, when the Eskimo Open hits the first tee’s of both Courses # 1&3 at Cog Hill. With the weather expected to be in the upper 40’s, and not much snow around. It could be the year to play, if you haven’t before. The last tee times are at 11 AM, so everyone should be back in the clubhouse in time for the Bears playoff game.

Golf Show season ramps up in late February (22-24) in Rosemont with the Chicago Golf Show at the Donald Stephens Convention Center. As of now, it appears this will be the only golf show in Chicago this year,so don’t miss it.

On the tournament side, some of the tournaments we have had the last two years are gone, but there are a few still around. The WGA Evans Scholars Web.com event is new and comes to town from May 23-26 at the Glen Club. Local Web.com players like Illinois Open Champion Vince India and Doug Ghim are likely to play.

The last week of June, brings the Women’s Western Golf Association’s National Amateur Championship to Royal Melbourne, after being played at Mistwood Golf Club last year. The second week of July is the John Deere Classic which is always a fun event. Then in the next few weeks are the Illinois State Amateur, the Illinois Women’s Open, and the Illinois Open Championships.

If driivng a little bit doesn’t bother you,the U.S. Sr. Open at the Warren Course on the Notre Dame Campus in South Bend is the last days of June, and just into Michigan in Benton Harbor the Western Amateur returns to Point O’Woods.

But what many Chicago area golfers are looking forward to, is the return to Medinah in Mid-August when the BMW Championship comes to town. It will be Medinah’s first big professional tour golf championship since the 2012 Ryder Cup.

On the golf course side, one of the biggest renovation projects in town, the Schaumburg Golf Club around July 1st will have 18 holes of it’s 27 holes fully renovated and reopened for play. Then the last nine holes will close and start the renovation process, with all 27 holes being reopened around July 1, of 2020.

Based on the club fitting boom going on around town, I sense there will be many golfers looking to hit the links this year, to tryout new clubs.

I’m anxious to see the new clubsand products at the PGA Show in 3 weeks, and thenhope to see the best of them up here come summer. It should be a great 2019 golf season, can’t wait for it to get rolling. RS