WCPT AM 820 THE HOME OF GOLFERS ON GOLF RADIO for this years 30th season, 10 Am Saturday mornings. The New Clubhouse at The Preserve at Oak Meadows is going up, for more details on the Preserve please visit DuPagegolf.com.     ____________________________________________________________________

THE GOG BLOG by RORY SPEARS, Director of Content and Creation. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, at WCPT AM 820.

It was great catching up with Ryan Brown the Director of Golf at Eagle Ridge in Galena IL. during our radio show yesterday.

Eagle Ridge is on the comeback trail under new ownership, and will become a place golfers need to visit going forward.

There are plenty of golf specials in the month of June, the resorts spa and the General Golf course are open again.

EagleRidge.com Isn’t it time for you to visit Eagle Ridge, Ready to Travel, who isn’t. We have all been stuck in our homes for way to long. #GoGolfing.

American Angela Stafford holds the Solheim Cup.

2021 Team USA Solheim Cup Captain Pat Hurst has added Angela Stafford as an assistant captain for Team USA.

Stafford a former major champion, has been a member of Team USA in the Solheim Cup, six times.

The 2021 Solheim Cup matches will be contested at the Inverness Club in Toledo Ohio. For more information please visit [email protected].

THERE HAVE been changes made to the Players Pass at area golf courses operated by GolfVisions. For details on the Players Pass and the free golf vouchers handed out at the Chicago Show, see Golfvisions.net.

BID DEADLINES are coming up on various properties from the Warrior Golf bankruptcy that are being sold. The auctions are being operated by Links Capital Advisors and Chris Charnas, for more information see LinksCaptialAdvisors.com or contact Chris Charnas at (312)-543-7192. Auctions are happening this week.

DALLAS BASED TOP GOLF has teamed up with Golf Scope to create a new virtual reality game, called Pro Putt by TopGolf on Oculus Quest. More details at Topgolf.com and at Proputt.com.

CLUB CHAMPION has reopened it’s four fitting stores in the Chicago area, and most of it’s 74 locations across the country. There are current specials, for more details please visit Clubchampiongolf.com.

Chad Johansen holds the Blackberry Amateur trophy. The Blackberry Am will be played this June 27 & 28 at Blackberry Oaks in Bristol.

Chad Johansen the Illinois PGA professional and general manager at Blackberry Oaks announced today while appearing on Golfers on Golf Radio Am 820 WCPT, that this past Friday he has opened registration for the 10th annual Blackberry Amateur.

The Blackberry Amateur is sponsored by Wilson Golf and Michelob Ultra.

The field is limited to the first 120 players that sign up.

For more information, please visit Blackberryoaks.com, or call (630)-553-7170. The Gog Blog returns on Monday. RS

GOLFERS ON GOLF RADIO (L-R) Rory Spears, Ed Stevenson, and Bill Berger. (R) 2019 Illinois Golf Hall of Fame Inductee Len Ziehm has joined the show as a contributor ______________________________________________________________________

GOLFERS ON GOLF RADIO WEEK 7- at 10 am tomorrow (Saturday) on Am 820 WCPT or listen live at Wcpt820.com. You can watch the show live on Facebook, just visit the WCPT FB-page. If you on the course, the range or out and about, catch us on the Tune-In-Radio APP, Search WCPT820.

If you miss the show, you can have a mulligan. Check it out on Soundcloud.com/Chicagosprogressivetalk.

This weeks guests, are Eagle Ridge Resort Director of Golf Ryan Brown, on the reopening and changes at Eagle Ridge in Galena.

The Man in the Golden Jacket-Chad Johansen live from his open house in the western burbs. Johansen is the IPGA professional and GM at Blackberry Oaks in Bristol.

We will hear from Len Ziehm of LenZiehmonGolf.com and the golf columnist of the Daily Herald with his thoughts in the world of golf. Join us every Saturday morning.

THE FIRST TEE OF GREATER CHICAGO-Rory Spears visits the First Tee facility at Sultans Run in Southern Indiana. Golfers on Golf and the Gog Blog by Rory Spears, follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy, and or Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Don’t forget Golfers on Golf Radio tomorrow morning10 AM on WCPT AM 820 Wcpt820.com  _____________________________________________________________________

The First Tee of Greater Chicago will resume in-person programming during the week , of June 15th at Countryside, Fountain Hills, Harborside and Glenwoodie, schedule are now available for viewing.

Changes for the summer ahead, class sizes now only will have 8 participants. Registration is based on your child’s age, and not skill level-PLAYer, Par, Birdie or Eagle.

Participants must have masks. Revised pick-up and drop off procedures.

To sign up or review safety procedures visit Firstteegreaterchicago.org. or for details to sign up for the Notah Begay III regional tournament at Harborside on July 6 and 7.

LEN ZIEHM on golf and Lenziehmongolf.com have posted a story on Jensen Beach in Florida, check it out. CHAD JOHANSEN hosts an Open House on Saturday morning at the Dome, see ChadJohansen.com, Chad’s live with Golfers on Golf Radio 10:30 Sat    ______________________________________________________________________

  THE GOG BLOG by RORY SPEARS, Director of Content and Creation for Golfers on Golf. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy or Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram. The Mountain Grand Lodge and Spa part of Boyne Resorts, that comprise 10 golf courses.

Resort operations have reopened as of this past week, at all three Boyne Resorts in Northern Michigan. The final five golf courses that had not been open, along with some of the resorts restaurants are open, with restaurants at restricted capacities.

Two people can ride in carts together. Boyne resorts has reviewed all of it’s operations and hasn’t taken as many precautions as possible so that resort guests and golfers get first-class treatment, accommodations, and personalized services.

Social distancing will be in place in public area’s, with heightened cleaning in all area’s of the resort.

The first hole on the Monument Course at the Boyne Mountain Resort.

Currently special offers that include two nights and four rounds of golf, start at only $236 per person at Boyne Mountain, $286 per person at Boyne Highlands and $408 per person at the Crooked Tree Cottages.

This special offer ends on June 24th at 6 Pm, and you need to mention promo code TIMETOGOLF when booking your stay.

For golfers there are 10 courses to pick from, all 10 are within a 45-minute drive of each other. Flagship property is the Bay Harbor Golf Club with 27 holes designed by Arthur Hills, that include the Links/Quarry/ and Preserve Nine’s.

From the 4th tee at on the Quarry 9 at Bay Harbor.

The Boyne Highlands resort has 72 holes of golf.

The original course by is the Heather by Robert Trent Jones. The Hills Course by Arthur Hills, or the Moor course, which is a fun and sporty design.

Then there is the architect Donald Ross Memorial design, that comes complete with 18 holes that have been inspired by holes at famous Donald Ross courses around the country.

While there are plenty of activities to do on property, there are even more choices when in the towns of Charlevoix, Harbor Springs or Petoskey. Beaches, waterfront dining, gaming, biking, hiking and Micro-breweries are among your choices.

So if your ready to head north as summer approaches, check out the resort or resorts that provide 10 golf courses in the same family. Visit BoyneGolf.com.

  LEN ZIEHM of Len Ziehm on Golf and the golf columnist from the Daily Herald live from Port St. Lucie Florida in the heart of PGA Village & RORY SPEARS in the home studios of Golfers on Golf in Arlington Hts., so we are practicing social distancing at an extreme. ______________________________________________________________________

This is our weekly podcast Volume 12. This week we touch on the tournament scene, and why they are getting cancelled or scaled down. The news that came down right after the record of last weeks podcast, the cancelling of the John Deere Classic.

Travel destinations that are starting to reopen, and what one local course has done, that nobody else in the country has started to do, just yet anyway.

CLICK HERE to hear Ziehm & Spears Podcast Series 2020-Volume 12. Where we keep you ahead of the curve.

Join us on Golfers on Golf Radio Saturday’s at 10 Am on WCPT-Am 820 Chicago. Ziehm and Spears Podcast Series Volume 13, will be here next week. Stay clicked in.

WHITE EAGLE GOLF CLUB WILL HOST THE ILLINOIS OPEN FROM AUGUST 3-5.    ______________________________________________________________________

The Gog Blog by Rory Spears, Director of Content and Creation for Golfers on Golf. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. The 12th hole at the Kilmarlic Club

THE OUTER BANKS of North Carolina have some of the Best Courses, you can play in the Tar Heel state.

The North Carolina Golf Panel, has named three courses in the outer banks area, that are in the Top 50 you can play in state.

No.16 is the Currituck Club, No.23 Kilmarlic Golf Club, and No.33 Nags Head Golf Links.

What golf in the Outer Banks area offers is a group of outstanding and fun golf courses, at affordable rates to golfers. When done golfing, numerous area activities add to the experience.

The style of golf changes from barrier island, to more modern inland parkland style courses. Four area courses possess coastal views. Area you ready to travel yet ?

Rees Jones created the Currituck Club, a courses that has features of where golf began. Dunes, wetlands, maritime forests and the sound of seascapes.

The challenges change all the time when golfers play Bob Moore’s Nags Head. The southern end of the inner-waterway, coastal winds with island holes. Nags Head gives golfers the feel that they are on a golf trip to Scotland or Ireland.

Kilmarlic Club a Tom Steele design settles into the marshland, but resides in 605 acres of a maritime forest.

Don’t forget that right after crossing the Wright Memorial Bridge, you come to the Pointe. The course that is said to be the first course in the country to have the A-1 bent grass.

Are you ready for fun, the coast, the conditions, the courses. For more details on golf in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, you can visit PlayOBXGolf.com.

THE NEW CLUBHOUSE at the Preserve at Oak Meadows is coming out of the ground, and the new starter shack and bag drop are also being built. See DuPagegolf.com         _____________________________________________________________________

The Gog Blog by Rory Spears, Director of Content and Creation for Golfers on Golf. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy or Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram. At WCPT home of Golfers on Golf radio in it’s 30th season.

GOING DARK OR GOING SMALL, that seems to be the approach this summer when it comes to golf tournaments.

No sooner than Len Ziehm and I finished the podcast last week, and posted it. 2 hours later the John Deere Classic announced it was cancelled for 2020. It would go dark for the year, except for it’s outstanding charity wing, Birdies for Charity.

Without the tournament, BFC might only raise half the amount they did last year which was over $13 million. More than 500 charities benefit from golf in the Quad Cities area. The quick thought after the cancelling notice appeared from the JDC, was to blame Illinois and Governor J.B. Pritzker for telling the classic they would have to operate with handcuffs on. But that was not the case at all.

A special thanks to tournament director Clair Peterson for taking our call the next day about the logistics on what really happened. It’s nice when the face of the organization actually picks up the phone and speaks during these Covid-19 times, something that isn’t happening often enough.

John Deere Classic Tournament Director Clair Peterson at the podium during media day in 2019, at TPC Deere Run.

Peterson broke down what the expectations of the PGA Tour are these days, which is something that really had not been published, in what they consider safe to currently hold a PGA Tour event.

When hearing about the hand the JDC and Peterson were dealt, you have to wonder how any tournament can currently hold a tour stop.

What’s even more confusing, is how our second tour in event in town, the BMW Championship, scheduled for late August at Olympia Fields will be able to operate. Good luck to BMW and the Western Golf Association (WGA).

Peterson said the JDC had a list of things that had to happen in order to play, “but we just couldn’t check all the boxes.” I’m not sure how he could have done that. So the 50th Anniversary of PGA Tour golf in the Quad Cities will have to wait til’ next year. But in Illinois when it comes to sports, we are all good at doing that anyway.

THE ILLINOIS OPEN will be played from August 3-5, says IL. PGA Executive Director Carrie Williams. That’s the good news. The bad news is that field is down to 156 from over 250 players, all play for three rounds will take place at the White Eagle Golf Club. The second course, Stonebridge Country Club will have to wait for another year to be part of the championship. Which is too bad, because White Eagle and Stonebridge make a great combination for a tournament like the Illinois Open.

Qualifiers for the championship have been reduced down to only four, but that should be enough to get the field full of the players who deserve to be there. Golfers on Golf will attempt to reach Carrie Williams for comment during the week, or live on Golfers on Golf Radio this Saturday morning.

The U.S. Open will work with a smaller field at Winged Foot this September, 144 as opposed to 156, due to a shorter window for daylight in September than in June.

OUR CONDOLENCES from everyone at Golfers on Golf to all the friends and family of local golf trick-shot artist Peter Longo, who passed away over the weekend. Longo suffered a stroke earlier this year and was in rehab, trying to come back from the stroke.

I’ll have more through out the week, as Illinois golf courses are starting to reopen with less Covid-19 restrictions. Stay safe, stay healthy and Go Play. RS.

THE WHITE EAGLE GOLF CLUB-remains the host of the 71st Illinois Open August 3-5, but the championship will see a reduced field and only four qualifiers will now be held.    ______________________________________________________________________

GOLFERS ON GOLF by RORY SPEARS, Director of Content and Creation. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy, or on LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram.

Defending champion David Cooke won his second Illinois Open in 2019.

The good news is that the 2020 Illinois Open will happen. The bad news is that the field has been shrunk to only 156 players. The eight qualifiers that were scheduled, have been decreased from 8 to 4.

As a result of the smaller field, the entire championship will be held only at the White Eagle Golf Club in Naperville. The second course Stonebridge Country Club in Aurora, that was to serve as the companion course, will not be used this year. The first qualifier will be held on July 14th at the Flossmoor Country Club. That field is limited to 56 players.

The third hole on White Eagles Red Nine.

“Despite having to make a difficult decision to change the format this year, White Eagle Golf Club is extremely excited at the opportunity to showcase our newly renovated facility and provide a high-end experience for those playing in our state championship of golf,” said Curtis Malm, Director of Golf at White Eagle Golf Club and Illinois PGA Opens Chairman. “The Illinois PGA and White Eagle Golf Club will be working diligently to provide the best, and safest Illinois Open as possible.”

The 8th hole at Stonebridge Country Club in Aurora.

Stonebridge Country Club in Aurora was to be the second course (or companion course) for the 2020 Illinois Open.

As a result of Stonebridge having to be dropped for this year, Illinois PGA officials and Stonebridge are already working to bring the championship back to the club at a future date.

“The Stonebridge Country Club members and staff are disappointed not to be able to host the 71st Illinois Open this year, but amidst everything happening with Covid-19 we fully sport the decisions that have been made by the Illinois PGA Section and it’s Tournament Committee,” said Andrew Stevens, Head Professional at Stonebridge Country Club. “We are hopeful to bring the event to Stonebridge in the future.”

“We are thankful to the Stonebridge membership and Head PGA Professional Andrew Stevens, for their understanding as we work through this unprecedented time to stage the best possible Illinois Open Championship. We are hopeful to bring the event back to Stonebridge in the near future,” said Carrie Williams, Executive Director of the Illinois PGA. “We are confident this revised format will provide a competitive test for players and continue the tradition of crowning a champion of Illinois golf.”

The players that previously held exemptions, do remain exempt. The IPGA will now have four qualifiers. July 14 at Flossmoor Country Club-56 spots available for that day. July 16th-Deerpath Golf Course-90 spots available that day. July 22nd The Hawk Country Club-88 spots available that day. July 29th-Willow Crest Golf Club-89 spots available for that days field.

The deadline to register for a qualifying event is, Wednesday July 8th at 11:59 p.m. All qualifiers that were scheduled prior to July 14th have been cancelled. if a player signed up for one of the qualifiers that was cancelled, please contact the tournament director by July 8th, so you can transfer to another location.

More details at IPGA.com

WELCOME TO JOHN DEERE IN MOLINE ILLINOIS, John Deere Classic Tournament Director Clair Peterson speaks on media day 2019 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis IL.           _____________________________________________________________________

THE GOG BLOG by RORY SPEARS-Director of Content and Creation for Golfers on Golf. Follow Rory on Twitter @GogBlogGuy, or Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

The Deere at TPC Deere Run in Silvis Illinois.

This past Thursday the John Deere Classic was cancelled for 2020.

The JDC had been promoted as the first tournament that could have had fans in attendance. Even though all along there was still a chance there might not be any fans at TPC Deere Run at all.

Coming up the week of July 6-12, everyday golfers will now have the rare chance to play a PGA Tour golf course, primed and ready for PGA Tour players, that won’t be stopping by.

Once the tournament was cancelled, the questions came in about why, and how the tournaments 50th anniversary could be called off. Golfers on Golf spoke with Clair Peterson about what happened, how it happened, and what’s next.

CLICK HERE to hear our interview with John Deere Classic Tournament tournament director Clair Peterson.

For details on the tournaments future, refunds and the charity arm Birdies for Charity, please visit JohnDeereClassic.com

  THE STEEL IS COMING OUT OF THE GROUND at the new Preserve at Oak Meadows clubhouse in Addison. Golfers on Golf Radio Am 820 WCPT, your hosts are (L-R) Rory Spears, Ed Stevenson and Bill Berger. This morning’s tee time is 10 AM.       _____________________________________________________________________

Golfers on Golf Radio this morning at 10 AM on Am 820 WCPT or listen live online at Wcpt820.com watch at Facebook Live at WCPT, if your on the course or now even the range, put on your Tune in Radio APP on your phone and search WCPT820. If you miss the show and need a mulligan try Soundcloud.com/Chicagosprogressivetalk.

John Deere Classic Tournament Director Clair Peterson at the podium.

This morning the show will focus on the cancellation of the John Deere Classic, we will hear from JDC tournament director Clair Peterson.

Quad Cities area golf writer Tom Johnston joins us live from Moline on the loss of the tournament in 2020.

We will hear from Illinois Golf Hall of Fame inductee Len Ziehm on the return of Eagle Ridge Resort in Galena.

Wisconsin Golf professional and Mr. Erin Hills Rich Tock joins us live from from the Milwaukee burbs, with more on the full reopening of Erin Hills on Monday. 10 Am WCPT Am 820. Join us.