__/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ Michigan Golf News
February 11, 2005, Vol. 5, No. 8

Sponsored by:

Bay Mills Resort and Casino/Wild Bluff-Brimley
Web: http://www.4baymills.com
Video: http://michigangolfer.tv/2003shows/show11/index.html

Shanty Creek Resort & Club
Web: http://shantycreek.com
Video: Schuss Mountain Ski Shop
http://michigangolfer.tv/miskier/season_4/schuss/schussqt.html

Lansing Golf Show, The Lansing Center, February 25-27
Web: http://michigangolfshow.com

Michigan Golf Show, Novi Expo, March 11-13
Web: http://michigangolfshow.com
Video: http://michigangolfer.tv/2004shows/show1/index.html

Edited by Art McCafferty-Producer/Publisher, GLSP
http://glsp.com

Past issues are available at http://webgolfer.com/news.html

__/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/ __/

__/ MICHIGAN GOLFER INTERNET TELEVISION SHOW
__/ DO YOU GIVE A HOOT FOR THE HOOTERS TOUR? WISCONSIN DOES
__/ HITTING THE LINKS-AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTS-FERDINAND GARBIN
__/ ALL DRESSED UP WITH A PLACE TO GO? TRY THE NEW MAPS ON GOOGLE
__/ 19TH HOLE-CARDINAL NICKLAUS
__/ BRETT MARSHALL UPDATE ON HABOR LINKS PUBLICATIONS
__/ DON CHILDS-MICHAYWE' AND FARMINGTON HILLS GC
__/ FORESITE MEDIA "VIRTUALLY" WELCOMES NEW GUESTS
__/ ROUNDS UP IN 2004-NGF REPORT
__/ MARCH GOLF DIGEST A GREAT READ
__/ DILS NIXES RETIREMENT AND TAKES ON "GOLFING IN MICHIGAN" ONCE AGAIN
__/ DEVELOPMENT SLOW-DOWN CONTINUES IN 2004-NGF REPORT
__/ CALENDAR OF GOLF EVENTS
__/ TOURNAMENT SCHEDULES
__/ MICHIGAN GOLF NEWS ASSOCIATION SUBSCRIBERS
__/ ASSOCIATION LINKS

***
MICHIGAN GOLFER INTERNET TELEVISION SHOW
THE MICHIGAN GOLF SHOW
The Michigan Golf Show in Novi is just around the corner. Join our reporter Tim Hygh and show host Laurie McCann as they chat about the vendors that the show annually provides for its attendees. The Michigan Golf Show is the largest consumer golf show in the U.S. http://michigangolfer.tv

***
GIVE A HOOT FOR THE HOOTERS TOUR? WISCONSIN DOES
Wisconsin's Fox Hills GC will be hosting the NGA-Hooters Tour once again.

The tour stop will be at Fox Hills Resort in Northeast Wisconsin - Monday, May 16th through Sunday May 22nd, 2005. The total purse for this year's NGA Hooters Tour event will be $143,000.

Another event, the AJGA Nike Golf, will be held August 8th through 11th. The Nike Golf Junior Series showcases some of the top 12-15 year-olds in the country.

Folks who are interested can take cross Lake Michigan on the Carferry, or drive the Upper Michigan route to Manitowoc County. For more information on Fox Hills Resort and the special NGA and AJGA Tour Golf Packages click on http://www.foxhillsresort.com

***
ALL DRESSED UP WITH A PLACE TO GO? TRY THE NEW MAPS ON GOOGLE
Golf courses who utilize maps on their website might check out the new maps on Google http://maps.google.com The new rollout does not work on all browsers, but will eventually. You have to see it to believe it.

---------------------------------------------------ADV
THE MICHIGAN GOLFER INTERNET TELEVISION SHOW

NEW SHOWS FOR 2005

THE GOLF COURSE AND THE ARCHITECT SERIES
http://michigangolfer.tv

STARTING IN MARCH

Mike Husby
The Loon GC
Wild Bluff GC

Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest Series
The Rose GC-Oklahoma
Fieldstone GC-Michigan
Kinsale GC-Ohio

Jerry Matthews Series
The Natural GC
The Majestic at Lake Walden
Timberstone GC

ADV----------------------------------------------------

***
ROUNDS UP IN 2004
Rounds played finished in positive territory in 2004 for the first time in three years, as reported by the National Golf Foundation and the National Golf Course Owners Association. While the gains were slight (0.7 percent nationally), they represent a welcome relief to the declines of the prior two years.

Private club rounds were flat for the year while public courses had slight increases. Premium public courses had the best showing with nearly a two percent gain, followed by value public with about a one percent increase.

http://ngf.org

***
HITTING THE LINKS-AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTS-FERDINAND GARBIN
This week we are taking a look at the American Association of Golf Course Architects site and in particular the section that features the Living History Series. The Living History Series is represented in a sublink of the site and contains a series of video interviews. The site of resides on Michigan State University's server and website. This week's interview video features Ferdinand Garbin http://golfarchitects.lib.msu.edu/garbinf/video.html

Garbin, only designed one course in Michigan, but that was historical one, Garbin is a 1959 graduate of Penn State University, where he received a B.A. under the tutelage of turfgrass management master H. Burton Musser. Afterward, he worked with architect James G. Harrison (a student of Donald J. Ross) until the 1960s and married Harrison's daughter, Joan.

Garbin was involved in the redesign of several Ross creations in Pennsylvania, and became known as a champion of the redesign and restoration of classic courses. Once the youngest president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, he has also served on the Board of Directors of ASGCA.

***
DILS NIXES RETIREMENT AND TAKES ON GOLFING IN MICHIGAN ONCE AGAIN
Hi Art,
As I told you in Grand Rapids, I am again President/Publisher of Golfing in Michigan. For the past two years, Unlex Group had published the annual golf guide. Umlex is pursuing other businesses, so I have re-acquired the guide. This is the 14th year that Golfing in Michigan has mailed more than 100,000 guides to subscribers of the national golf magazines. In the acqusition, I have also acquired the Golfing in Michigan Travel Division which is operated by Mike McGeath. Mike has been in the business of arranging golf/travel packages for more than 9 years. Art Dils

***
DEVELOPMENT SLOW-DOWN CONTINUES IN 2004
NGF recently announced the number of new courses being built has decreased every year since 2000. In 2004, there were 150.5 course openings and 62.5 verified closures (in 18-hole equivalents), for a net gain of 88 courses, representing a net increase of approximately one-half of one percent. The 2005 forecast is for 150-160 18-hole equivalent course openings. In contrast, nearly 400 18-hole equivalents opened in 2000.

Including the 2004 openings, the total number of U.S. golf facilities stands at 16,057, thus breaking the 16,000 mark for the first time. Adjusting for 9-hole and 18-hole-plus facilities, there were 14,988 18-hole equivalents at year's end.

For information about the report, call NGF at (561) 744-6006.

MICHIGAN GOLFER PRODUCT LINE FOR 2005
Looking for a spot to place some of those hard earned ad dollars this year? Our products work 24/7/365 and are designed to make our clients googleable. Interested? Stop by our booth at the West Michigan Golf Show. http://glsp.com

Michigan Golfer product circulation numbers for 2004**
Michigan Golf News
http://michigangolfer.com/news.html
5574 Weekly Subscribers and Online Readers
289,848 a year

Michigan Golfer Television
http://michigangolfer.tv
248,108 Page Views
53,906 Viewers

Michigan Golfer Magazine-Online Edition (pdf)
http://michigangolfer.com/archive.html
12,786 Readers -Five issues

Michigan Golfer Online
http://michigangolfer.com
709,249 Page Views
276,418 Readers

Michigan Golfer Radio Shows
Michigan Talk Radio Network
http://www.michigantalkradio.net/

Radio 1070 CHOK-Sarnia, Ontario
http://www.chok.com/

4700 listeners per week-March-October

***
FORESITE MEDIA "VIRTUALLY" WELCOMES NEW GUESTS
Susan Hintz of Traverse City has announced the launching of Foresite Media, LLC., a Michigan-based company, which has developed an online marketing tool to give viewers virtual access to "visit and experience" golf courses, resorts and golf communities 24 hours a day. The detailed, 360-degree field of vision, panoramic imagery provides a virtual tour that transforms viewers into instant "guests." A Foresite online tour can be completely customized with headers, hotspots, fonts, colors, features, sponsors, and signage, and the tour can be directly linked to online reservation systems.

Foresite Media creates custom online tours with premier features by harnessing the distinct style of your resort and transforming viewers into guests. For more information: online at http:/www.foresitemedia.com or phone 231.929.7039

Submitted by the Godwin Group

***
19TH HOLE-CARDINAL NICKLAUS
The Pope met with his cardinals to discuss a proposal from the prime minister of Israel.

"Your Holiness," said one of the Cardinals, "The Israeli prime minister wants to challenge you to a game of golf to show the friendship and ecumenical spirit shared by the Jewish and Catholic faiths."

The Pope thought it was a good idea, but he had never held a golf club in his life. "Have we not," he asked, "a cardinal who can represent me against the leader of Israel?"

"None that plays golf very well," a cardinal repied. "But ..." he said, deep in thought, "what if we offered to make Jack Nicklaus a cardinal? We can offer to make him a cardinal, then ask him to play the Israeli prime minister as your personal representative.

In addition to showing our spirit of cooperation, we'll also win the match."

Everyone agreed it was a good idea. The call was made. Nicklaus was greatly honored and agreed to play.

The day after the match, Nicklaus reported to the Vatican to inform the Pope of the result. "I have some good news and some bad news, Your Holiness," said Nicklaus.

"Tell me the good news first, Cardinal Nicklaus," said the Pope.

"Well, Your Holiness, I don't like to brag, but even though I've played some pretty terrific rounds of golf in my life, this was the best I have ever played, by far. I must have been inspired from above. My drives were long and true, my irons were accurate and purposeful and my putting was perfect. With all due respect, my play was truly miraculous."

"There's bad news?" the Pope asked.

Nicklaus sighed. "I lost to Rabbi Woods by three strokes."

From Brent Kelley, Your Guide to Golf. FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now! http://golf.about.com/od/golfjokesandhumor/a/golfjoke101404.htm

***
BRETT MARSHALL UPDATE ON HABOR LINKS PUBLICATIONS
Art,
I thought I would give you an update as to what is happening with Harbor Links Publications. Just this week, we completed printing of "Field of Dreamers: Celebrating Tennessee High School Sports." Earlier in 2004 we published "Southern Golf Association: The First Hundred Years." The first book was done in conjunction with the Southern Golf Association in Birmingham, AL, and the second was with the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, located just outside Nashville. We also have under contract to do a centennial book for the Carolinas Golf Association which will be well down the calendar in 2008. A contract is also pending with the Ann Arbor News here locally to produce a book using its archives to commemorate the rivaly of Michigan-Ohio State in football. That book will be slated for publishing in October 2005. We are very excited about this project.

Brett Marshall
brett@harborlinkspublishing.com

***
MARCH GOLF DIGEST A GREAT READ
This month's issue of Golf Digest has some very interesting stories on Deanne Beman, Calvin Peete, a cover story on Jim Flick and Jack Niclaus and some terrfic jokes. Nice read.

***
DON CHILDS-MICHAYWE' AND FARMINGTON HILLS GC
Don Childs, one of Michigans's noted golf architects, dropped MGN a line to let us know that the renovations at The Pines course at Michaywe are complete. The Pines boasts new tee complexes, revised bunkering and cartpaths, the tweaking of several greens and a new irrigation system. Both finishing holes were lengthened and the course is now over 7010 from the tips.

Farmington Hill GC, formerly San Marino, has 80 new condos, a new nine, a completely rennovated original nine connected by a tunnel under Halstead Road. The projected opening of the new course is June .

***
MICHIGAN GOLF CALENDAR 2005
http://michigangolfer.com/calendar.html

***

MICHIGAN GOLF NEWS ASSOCIATION SUBSCRIBERS

Golf Association of Michigan
http://www.gam.org
Michigan Golf Course Owners Association
http://mgcoa.org
Michigan PGA
http://michigan.pga.com
Michigan Women's Golf Association, MWGA
http://www.mwgolf.org
Michigan State Amateur Golf Association
Dick Loring-skillplay@aol.com
mailto:skillplay@aol.com
Upper Peninsula Golf Association
http://upga.org

***
TOURNAMENTS
http://michigangolfer.com/tournaments.html

***
ASSOCIATION LINKS

American Association of Golf Course Architects
http://asgca.org
Golf Association of Michigan
http://www.gam.org
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
http://www.gcsaa.org
Michigan Section PGA
http://www.Michigan.PGA.com
Michigan Golf Course Owners Association
http://mgcoa.org
Michigan High School Athletic Association
http://www.mhsaa.com/
Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association
http://migca.com
National Golf Course Owners Association
http://ngcoa.org
National Golf Foundation
http://ngf.org