June 13, 2003, Vol. 3, No. 24

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

Crusecom Technology Consultants, LLC -
Your Strategic Internet Solutions Partner!
http://www.crusecom.com

The Club Card-Value Golf:Gaylord/Cadillac/Mt. Pleasant/Livingston
Web http://www.golfclubcard.com
Video: http://michigangolfer.tv/2003shows/packages/golfclubcard/

Golfing Upper Peninsula's Delta County- Escanaba & Gladstone http://www.travelbaysdenoc.com/golf.html

Upper Peninsula-Michigan's Other Golf Mecca
Premium Courses at Reasonable Rates http://upga.org
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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 Publinx Golf Association
http://www.mwpga.com
Michigan State Amateur Golf Association
Dick Loring skillplay@aol.com

Edited by Art McCafferty
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__/ MGN ON THE ROAD
Cedar-King's Challenge
Gaylord-The Loon, Michaywe GC
Glen Arbor-The Homestead
Thompsonville-Crystal Mountain Resort
__/ MICHIGAN GOLFER TELEVISION-New Golf Courses
__/ THE HAIG IS COMING TO THE HAIG
__/ MGCOA GOLF BOOK NOW ON SALE
__/ GOLF ROUNDS PLAYED IN APRIL DOWN
__/ LONG DRIVER SCORES HOLE-IN-ONE ON 412-YARD PAR-4
__/ CHANGES AT CLOCK TOWER PRESS
__/ PATTI SAVANT NEW GM OF BELAIRE GC
__/ GET A GRIP
__/ IZZO-MARIUCCI CLASSIC AT TIMBERSTONE AND PINE GROVE CC
__/ MICHIGAN AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK
__/ WESTWYND AT THE WYNDDATE
__/ QUOTES OF THE WEEK
__/ HOLE IN ONE CLUB
__/ GOLF CALENDAR

***
MGN ON THE ROAD
Cedar

Chuck Olson and his crew have increased the business at Kings Challenge of late. They have a hit with the Steak and Play. We stopped by, and had neither unfortunately, but we got a little bit of a golf fix by checking out their patio and 18th hole. It is a very nice setting.

We stopped by to catch the start of the 3rd Annual Dick Weber Memorial Golf Tournament being held at Michaywe. Dick Weber was the soul of the Gaylord Golf Mecca and his abrupt departure due to an airplane accident left us all a little poorer. On hand were Head Professional Don White and Dick's family, Sharon and their children, Jenny and Will. Dick, we miss you.

Mike Husby seems to be a happy man. After stops at Michaywe, Marsh Ridge, The Loon, The Otsego Club, Candlestone Inn and Bay Mills Resort and Casino, Mike is back at The Loon. However, he is still spending some time at his former stop as co-chair of the Bay Mills Open.

Mike said the numbers are up at The Loon and the summer looks good. The Loon will be hosting the Atlas Cup in September.

Sandra Snook of Pine Cone Accommodations, indicated that her bookings for the Mecca are doing very well.

Dave Pelz, golf instructor guru, was on hand at the resort to open his new short game school. When asked about how his latest golf book was selling, he said, "the book got me a plane". Pelz is a towering and imposing figure of a person. Of special note, was that he spent a great deal of time as a scientist at the Goddard Space Center. He is a vastly interesting person.

Marketing Director, Nick Nerbonne was on hand to greet members of the media. He pointed out that The Homestead has a par 3 nine hole layout along with their short game facility.

Crystal Mountain Resort was awash with eager golfers, many of them catching lunch at the Kinlochen. The Kinlochen has made an awesome impact on the way the resort presents itself to the customer. Congrats to all.

The Michigan Golfer TV Show is pleased to bring you some previews of courses that are opening up this year. These clips are meant only to wet the appetite of Michigan golfers who want to try the latest Michigan courses. The courses are shown in a variety of developmental stages and were taped throughout the year. Therefore, we suggest you visit a course website for up to date information before making plans to go there.

Video: We caught up with Bob Thompson, owner of Angels Crossing, last week. He is very bullish about the course, so bullish that he convinced the Matthews Design Group to designate it as a signature. In this clip, we look at the massive 6th green, a par 3 hole that will create sufficient buzz to get people to journey to Vicksburg to try it. The course is still in grow in and will not be ready until late summer.

Video: Beginning as a dream just over 10 years ago, Crimson Ridge is now Sault Ste. Marie's newest championship, and only public access, 18 hole golf course.

Former New Jersey Devil and Soo Greyhound goaltender, John Vanbiesbrouck is the force behind Crimson Ridge golf course.

Video: Popular head golf professional, Kirk Sherman, gives our camera the latest on Mid Michigan's newest golf attraction. Chris Lutzke, who cut his architectural teeth working for Pete Dye, has sculpted a 7308 yard course that will continue to drive local area sales for Callaway's Big Bertha clubs.

Video: Bob Kleinbrook, the PGA Professional at Diamond Springs, gives us a brief tour of this new Grand Rapids area golf course.

This is actually a clip we brought to our viewers last year. Tom Rowe, of Hawk's Eye indicated that the course opened some of its holes last year, but will open the remainder this year. The architect was John Robinson. http://hawks-eye.com

Video: Jerry Balmes, owner of Hawk' Ridge, located at the Skyline Ski Resort in Grayling, indicated that they had a little bit of a set back in their irrigation last year and that the course is a little behind. In this clip, Jerry shows us some of dramatic views that the course will bring to the golfer. Keep tuned to their website for course opening information.

Video: Thad Gutowski, of Michigan Golfer Television, interviews Director of Golf, Kevin Muir of Westwynd. Adjacent to Wyndgate Country Club in Rochester, Westwynd is open for public play. Web: http://www.westwyndgolf.com

Video: The Michigan Golfer Television show dropped by Yarrow last fall and talked with long time employee Frank Boyd. The course has grow in since then and is now open for play. This is another course from Ray Hearns and Paul Albanese. http://yarrowgolf.com

A week from today June 20th, "The Haig" Golf Classic will take place at the Elmbrook Golf Course in Traverse City. The proceeds of the tournament will go to the Grand Traverse Heritage Center. This is a terrific museum that specializes in early radio and television of the area and a variety of other historical memorabilia. One of the exhibits will be of "The Haig" Walter Hagen, who spent his retirement years in the community.

Of special note, will be the appearance of "The Haig" at the festivities. Walter Hagen has been out on the West Coast and will fly into keynote the banquet. Jim McIntrye, of Knorr Marketing will introduce The Haig to the group.

Dear MGN-"I have some old steel shafted clubs that I want to re-grip with period looking grips. Just to look at, not to use. Where can I buy the grips?

Susie Fox, head professional at Timberstone GC in Ironwood, is starting to get fired up as her classmates, Tom Izzo and Steve Mariucci return for their annual UP IM Classic golf tournament. This is one of the toughest tickets to get in the UP. They golf on both The Timberstone and Pine Grove CC.
http://imclassic.org

The 92nd Michigan Amateur Championship, sponsored by Ford Division, returns to Belvedere Golf Club in Charlevoix June 17-21. Belvedere, designed by Scotland native Willie Watson, will host the Michigan Amateur for the 39th time. Belvedere, which hosted its first Michigan Amateur in 1930, was the site for the Michigan Amateur for twenty-six consecutive years from 1963-1988. The club has not hosted the tournament since 1988 but is eager to have the Michigan Amateur come home.

Match play begins on Thursday, and by the end of the day the "Sweet Sixteen" will be determined.

Charles Gelman, CEO of Clock Tower Press, has hired David Griscom as his National Sales Manager, John Companiotter as Senior Editorial Consultant and Lynne Johnson as Operations Manager.

Clock Tower Press recently won the ForeWord Magazine 2002 Book of the Year Gold Award in the Sports and Recreation category for "The Evangelist of Golf: The Story of Charles ", by George Bahto. http://clocktowerpress.com

Belaire GC, the oldest golf course in Antrim County has recently hired Patti Savant as their new GM. Patti has had a long history of service as an adminstrator in the golf and ski industry. Belaire, built in the 20's, became an 18 hole course in the 90's. The course is in competition with some heavy hitters in the area, The Legend, The Chief, Cedar River, Hawk's Eye, Schuss Mountain, to name just a few. We wish Patti well.

According to Golf Datatech's monthly National Golf Rounds Played Report, rounds played in April showed a 2.4% decline versus April 2002, and the year-to-date total was 2.0% down compared to the same four-month period last year.

Three regions showed increases in April. West North Central led the way with an 11.5% increase. East North Central showed a 9.9% increase, and West South Central was up 2.4%. On a YTD basis, four regions are ahead of 2002, West North Central (+15.2%), Mountain (+4.9%), East North Central (+4.3%) and Pacific (+1.0%).

Largest declines came in New England (-23.5% in April and -27.3% YTD) and Middle Atlantic (-9.2% in April and -16.8% YTD).

Long Drivers of America tour player Ryan Gearhart's hole-in-one on the 412-yard, par-4 eighth hole Monday was the highlight of a pro-member-guest tournament in which 21 Long Drivers of America Tour players competed on the world's longest course - The Pines course at The International Golf Club.

Gearhart, a 27-year-old from Phoenix, scored his first career ace using a driver from The Pines' "Tiger Tees" on No. 8, a dogleg-left hole. An 8,325-yard, par-73 layout from the Tiger Tees, The Pines is recognized as the world's longest golf course by the Guinness Book of World Records.

"As soon as I hit it, I said, 'That could be perfect," said Gearhart, who has competed on the Long Drivers of America tour for two-and-a-half years and in 2002 launched a record 510-yard drive in qualifying for the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship outside Denver. He used a Pinnacle Power Core Straight Distance ball and an SMT Deep Bore driver with 6 degrees of loft for his rare stroke.

The MGCOA has a golf book that contains $5,000 worth of golf packages (35 courses with twosomes and foursomes, all the golf is free) It is a fund raiser for our Government Affairs department. They still have a few books left and are letting them go for the small price of $300. These would be great Fathers and Mothers Day presents, or in fact, you can buy it for yourself.

Frank Agnello, the Controller at the Wyndgate, dropped our editorial staff a line to indicate that Westwynd at The Wyndgate has a "d" at the end of it. We apparently tried to introduce a new spelling to the place in our last newsletter. Also, the same information impacted the website address we listed. The real one is http://www.westwyndgolf.com.

Thanks and a Tip of the Tam to Frank for his editorial assistance.
But the way, you can get a nice description of the course from our reporter Thad Gutowski as he talks to course professional, Kevin Muir http://michigangolfer.tv/2003shows/newcourses/westwynd/

"Being one who has always found the sport to be ethically dubious (questionable use of land, resources, elitism, race issues, corporate synergy, etc.), I nevertheless find myself playing nearly every week."
-James King-Loo Yu

(Golf is) a sport for liars, drinkers and cussers who like to walk two or three miles belaboring an object 1/45th their size with a loaded cane.
-Vesta M. Kelly

"It is no coincidence that the people who invented golf also invented Scotch." - Bruce Manclark, 1999

We borrowed golf from Scotland as we borrowed whiskey. Not because it's Scottish, but because it is good. - Horace G. Hutchinson

Oh, golf is for smellin' heather and cut grass and walkin' fast across the countryside and feelin' the wind and watchin' the sun go down and seein' yer friends hit good shots and hittin' some yerself. It's love and it's feelin' the splendor o' this good world. - Michael Murphy, Golf in the Kingdom

Scott Forella,of Ypsilanti, crushed a Callaway x14 Pro and watched it soar 175 yards in the air and then gently drop down on the 17th green at Eagle Crest Resort. This was Scott's first ace.

Tour and Association Calendars

Associations
Golf Association of Michigan http://www.gam.org/champ/schedule.cgi
Michigan Section PGA http://www.Michigan.PGA.com
Michigan Golf Course Owners Association http://mgcoa.org
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America http://www.gcsaa.org
Shanty Creek http://www.shantycreek.com/calendar.html

Tours
Canadian Tour- http://www.cantour.com
European Tour- http://www.europeantour.com
Hooters Tour- http://www.ngahooterstour.com
Futures Tour- http://www.futurestour.com
PGA-- http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/pgatour.html

• Michigan Runner http://michiganrunner.net
• Michigan Runner Archives http://michiganrunner.com
• Michigan Runner TV http://michiganrunner.tv
• Running Network: http://runningnetwork.com
• Michigan Golfer http://michigangolfer.com
• Michigan Golfer TV http://michigangolfer.tv
• Michigan Skier http://michiganskier.com
• Michigan Skier TV http://michiganskier.tv
• Michigan Travel TV http://michigantravel.tv
• GLSP http://www.glsp.com