Get Out and Play Month

Tournament Month in Illinois Whets Appetite For Golf

Tournament month in Illinois is over, and for those who make up the BIG 3, Len Ziehm, Tim Cronin and myself it’s now been three straight golf tournaments with three straight playoffs.

The Illinois PGA will hold it’s section event at the end of the month, down at Olympia Fields but until then it’s really time to go hit the golf ball.

The Ziehm machine has already headed up north to Michigan, while TC as I call him will now be exploring the southside courses. I’ll be roaming a bit up north this week before eventually heading to the Great Lake State myself.

This week I return to Sugar Grove to see Jerry Rich owner and course designer of Rich Harvest Farms. There is a parade of tournaments in the next few years coming to RHF, and I’ll look at the course with Rich that has seen some changes since the 2009 Solheim Cup was played there.

Did You Know? RHF took 13 years to build, our feature 13 years 18 holes the creation of Rich Harvest of Rich Harvest Farms will be along later this month.

The International Crown LPGA will come to RHF in 2016, but there’s much to be played there before the crown arrives. Including the 2015 Western Am.

For more information, visit www.wgaesf.com.

SPEAKING OF The Western Amateur it was held this past week in Arkansas at the Alotion Club.

Former WGA Junior champion at Blue Mound CC, Patrick Rodgers was the medalist. But he didn’t fare well in the match play as the 2013 Walker Cup team member was ousted quickly.

When the dust settled and rain stopped it was Sean Dale of Jacksonville Florida and Jordan Niebrugge of Mequon Wisconsin battling for the title. But rain returned and Dale and Niebrugge will be forced into a Monday finish.

The 2014 Western Amateur returns to the Chicago area, it will be played at the Beverly Country Club.

THE ILLINOIS OPENS — two good weeks of golf was played here in Illinois. When it was done Joe Kinney of Antioch and Elsie Swartout of Ann Arbor, MI were the champions.

What I found was something at both opens that I wish were at the other open.

Credit the Illinois PGA that runs the men’s open for awarding a low amateur trophy. Something the Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open should consider. With the IWO now open to anyone, more pro’s are now coming in from around the country to play.

Which mean’s less Am’s in the field. So being the low Amateur at the IWO will really mean something before long. This year’s honor goes to Samantha Postillion, who lead the tournament with seven holes to play.

I’m not sure the men’s open is ready to be all-open just yet. It would be nice to see some ways added to expand the field, and there are some ways to do that.

PACE OF PLAY — The “While were Young” message was not in play at the men’s open. More often than not, the afternoon sessions where running at 5 ½ hours. For the ladies at Mistwood (pictured above), while there was a smaller field, kept things to about 4:45 tops. The 4:45 was about the pace of play for the first groups out at the Glen Club.

Earlier starts (1st out at 7 a.m.) for all days was a good move, as compared to 7:30 on days 1 & 2 at the men’s open. Repairing after round one, with the best scores out first at the women’s open was a great idea for round two.

It’s a great incentive for the players as well, to play the best they can. The final round of the IWO did have leaders out last as they should be.

The men’s open had nice electronic leaderboards on the golf course, while the IWO did not. But the IWO had a better three-hole live scoring system, that was an every hole for the last seven holes in the final round.

The live scoring at the IWO was patched into some of the big screen TV’s in the performance center and the clubhouse.

At both opens, players called the Illinois Open the best-run state opens they have seen anywhere.

Which is a real credit to the IPGA, and staff’s at the Glen Club and at Mistwood. Maybe with the pooling of a few ideas from both sides here, both of the Illinois open’s could raise up to yet another level.

While the golf course and performance center are more or less complete at Mistwood. The early success of P-C building is now making Mistwood owner Jim McWethy and his staff rethink the new clubhouse plans a bit.

When that construction will start McWethy didn’t know, as for what changes might be made to the original plans remains unclear.

BIG 3 media group tried to fill McWethy’s head with idea’s. While were not sure at this time what might happen, one thing seems to be for sure. Whatever the final design is, it will be well thought out like all the other improvements on the property.

THE PGA — at Oak Hill. On the GoG radio show yesterday Golfweek Senior writer Brad Klein called the Tiger Woods claim of bad greens at Oak Hill  “way off”. Klein says that the old classic Oak Hill is a shot makers golf course, and that the bombers might not like it.

I’m very much looking forward to watching it. U of I coach Mike Small is in the field, maybe he can earn low club pro for third time.

WOODS — there has been a lot of chatter this week especially by the “suck up” to Woods network ESPN, and his 61 last Friday at Akron.  ESPN has again gone and overblown how good this round was to the golf fans.

Now, 61 is a good round anywhere. It’s the same as a 63 on a par 72 course. Akron is a par 70. Woods played well shooting 61. But it doesn’t equal some of the great round we have seen in majors this year, like the final rounds by Justin Rose at Merion or Phil Mickelson at Muirfield. With ESPN, they have blurred the lines.

Woods had a shot for 59, he failed. He also didn’t win the championship that day since it was round two. His 68 on Saturday won him the championship. So he could coast on Sunday. As for now, this win made Woods the ESPN favorite next week.

Don’t jump the gun bettors. Do remember in Las Vegas Woods nickname is “sucker bet,” with the smart money gamblers.

JOIN US — over the next couple of days with our feature “Suttie Settles in at Mistwood”, and the August Gog News Blog. Until then, go play and keep it in the short stuff. (Thanks Phil)

A great idea ahead of it’s time, moving the IWO to the Mistwood Golf Club.