December 12, 2003, Vol. 3, No. 51

Sponsored by:

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

Grand Traverse Resort and Spa
Web: http://grandtraverseresort.com

Mississippi Golf
Video: http://michigangolfer.tv/2003shows/show2/index.html
Web: http://www.visitmississippi.org/golf_info/index.asp

French Lick Resort and Spa
Video: http://michigangolfer.tv/2003shows/frenchlick/index.html
Web: http://frenchlick.com/

Dundee Internet Services
Web: http://dundee.net

Edited by Art McCafferty-Publisher-Michigan Golfer


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__/ MICHIGAN GOLFER TELEVISION-INTERNATIONAL GOLF AND GOLF GETAWAYS
__/ ANTHONY SORENTINO RUNNER UP ON "THE BIG BREAK"
__/ Q-SCHOOL
__/ GOLF ROUNDS PLAYED SHOW FIRST MONTHLY INCREASE IN 2003
__/ JUDY MASON NEW DIRECTOR OF GOLF AT MICHAYWE
__/ BRAD DEAN- TRA LA LA LA LA LA LA TRALEE
__/ MICHIGAN GOLF NEWS ASSOCIATION SUBSCRIBERS
__/ CHAMPIONS TOUR HONORS TOM WATSON, CRAIG STADLER AND DON POOLEY
__/ MGN, HAVE YOU NO SHAME? A WORLD WAR II BOOK PITCH IN A GOLF NEWSLETTER
__/ MIDLAND GOLF SHOW ANNOUNCES DATE
__/ HAWKS EYE GC TO OFFICIALLY OPEN IN SPRING
__/ MICHIGAN GOLF NEWS ASSOCIATION SUBSCRIBERS
__/ QUOTES OF THE WEEK-JACK SAYLOR AND GRANTLAND RICE
__/ GOLF CALENDAR

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Q-SCHOOL
Pos.	Player   	Rd. 1	Rd. 2	Rd. 3	Rd. 4	Total	Earnings
1	Mark McNulty 	67	71	69	68	275	$45,000
2	Mark James 	67	70	71	70	278	$27,000
3	Hajime Meshiai 	72	69	72	66	279	$21,000
T4	Joe Inman 	71	69	71	70	281	$15,500
T4	Lonnie Nielsen 	71	69	71	70	281	$15,500
T6	Fred Gibson 	70	71	71	71	283	$10,750
T6	Sam Torrance 	71	72	70	70	283	$10,750
8	Mike Smith 	69	74	74	67	284	$9,000
T9	Keith Fergus 	73	70	72	70	285	$7,750
T9	Rafael Navarro 	67	74	71	73	285	$7,750
11	Bobby Lincoln 	71	73	72	70	286	$7,000
T12	Jay Overton 	71	73	72	71	287	$6,250
T12	Jack Spradlin 	69	71	75	72	287	$6,250
T14	Terry Gale 	66	74	76	72	288	$5,250
T14	Mark Johnson 	68	70	78	72	288	$5,250
T16	R.W. Eaks 	73	74	68	74	289	$0
T16	Barry Jaeckel 	72	70	74	73	289	$0
T16	Darrell Kestner 70	71	74	74	289	$0
T16	Bob Ralston 	71	72	77	69	289	$0
T16	Mike San Filipp 73	69	76	71	289	$0
T16	John Schroeder 	71	72	73	73	289	$0
T16	Steven Veriato 	75	74	71	69	289	$0
T16	Greg Edwards 	70	71	73	75	289	$0
T16	Tony Peterson 	73	71	75	70	289	$0
T16	Ed Brooks 	72	74	72	71	289	$0
T16	Ed Blechschmidt 73	73	72	71	289	$0
T27	Terry Mauney 	73	74	73	70	290	$0
T27	Luis Carbonetti 75	70	70	75	290	$0
T27	Mike Zaremba 	71	70	74	75	290	$0
T30	Jeff Thomsen 	76	71	75	69	291	$0
T30	Gary Robison 	72	74	76	69	291	$0
T30	Butch Sheehan 	71	73	74	73	291	$0
T30	Scott Masingill 76	72	73	70	291	$0
T34	John Adams 	73	73	73	73	292	$0
T34	Rex Caldwell 	71	73	79	69	292	$0
T34	Jim Chancey 	73	72	75	72	292	$0
T34	T.M. Chen 	73	76	71	72	292	$0
T34	Will Frantz 	70	73	73	76	292	$0
T34	Mark Hayes 	74	75	75	68	292	$0
T34	Ed Sabo 	69	73	74	76	292	$0
T34	Ray Stewart 	74	73	75	70	292	$0
T34	Takaaki Fukuzaw 71	76	69	76	292	$0	 

The Big Break wound up its successful series this past Tuesday with Anthony Sorentino of Rochester Hills finishing second to winner Justin Peters. According to Matt Friedman, a publicist at the Golf Channel, the series did very well and will be continued next fall.

Michigan's Rick Smith proved to be an entertaining host for the show and, with the exception of some untimely rain, Treetops looked as enchanting as ever.

Brad Dean practicing what he preaches, set the new course record for Ireland's Tralee course. Brad shot a 66 on this Arnold Palmer course.
http://www.irishgolftravel.co.uk/tralee.htm

Thanks and a Tip of the Tam to Rick Schmitt for passing along the news. And as Rick said, "Think Snow" You can catch some of the ski action at Crystal by viewing some of the video we shot last year on our Michigan Ski Show. In that show, we highlighted another great teacher, Jeannie Thoren http://michigangolfer.tv/miskier/season_2/show7/index.html

Michaywe in Gaylord, Michigan, is pleased to announce that Judy Mason has been named Director of Golf. It is a homecoming of sorts for Ms. Mason, whose father taught her to play golf on the Michaywé Pines course when she was 12 years old. Spending each Summer at Michaywé for most of her life, Mason both played and worked for the Pines course through college.

Since 1998, Mason has been the Head Golf Professional for Wild Bluff at Bay Mills in Brimley, Michigan. Earlier this year she was named Director of Golf and was Co-Tournament director for the Canadian tour’s Bay Mills Open.

A member of the LPGA, Mason has also served as the director of the Ladies Golf School at Treetops in Gaylord, Michigan, and plans to continue that program in 2004.

After graduating from Michigan State University, Mason began her professional career back in Gaylord at Marsh Ridge Resort, then moved to Hidden Valley (now Otsego Club) where she was the assistant professional for the Classic golf course, then ultimately became Head Professional for the Classic, the Loon and the Lake.

Mason will direct operations of the Pines course, now in the final stages of a $1.5 million restoration and renovation project, and the Lake course which returned to Michaywe’s management in 2003.

“The Pines and the Lake courses are close to my heart for special reasons,” said Mason. It is great that the two courses are together again, it is a privilege to be back.”

For the first time in 2003, golf rounds played showed an increase compared to the same month in 2002, according to the National Golf Rounds Played Report from Golf Datatech. Data for the most recent month (October) shows golf rounds played increased 5.6% versus October 2002. A mild autumn in the Midwest may have contributed to the increase. Double-digit increases were registered in Minnesota (41.3%), the combined Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota area (33.6%), Illinois (22.0%), and Wisconsin (12.7%).
  Other areas showing huge increases in October included Texas (22.0%), Kentucky-Tennessee (16.9%), Oklahoma-Arkansas-Louisiana (14.5%), Georgia (14.1%), South Carolina (11.3), and Hawaii (10.1%). Through the first 10 months of 2003, however, the total rounds played still lagged behind the same period in 2002 by 3.1%.

NSGA Research Newsletter highlights information from NSGA research as well as from other sources. 
Thomas B. Doyle,VP/information & research
tdoyle@nsga.org

This month our Michigan Runner cameras caught Governor Granholm finishing the mile run in the Detroit Thanksgiving Turkey Trot. http://michiganrunner.tv/2003turkeytrot/

On the travel side we caught the holiday lights at the Park Place Hotel and downtown Traverse City. We also stopped by Grand Traverse Resort and Spa to catch their decorations and the Gingerbread Village.
We top it off, or I should say we tap it off, with the Grosse Pointe Singers giving us their presentation of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town". Finally, we hear "Deck the Halls" from the Ypsilanti High School Choirs. http://michigantravel.tv/2003holidays/

MIDLAND GOLF SHOW ANNOUNCES DATE
Darrell Jacobs, Director of the Midland Golf Show announced that the 11th Annual 2004 Midland Golf Show will take place on March 13th of this upcoming year. The show, long a popular one, has gained seemingly more popularity by reducing its show dates to one day. Show hours will be 10 A.M. to 6 P.M.

Vacation Properties Network, a growing Northern Michigan real estate development company, announces the opening of the Hawks Eye golf course in the Hawks Eye Golf Community. The course, which was in preview this past summer, will formally open with a grand opening scheduled for spring 2004. Hawks Eye joins the company's first 18 holes near Bellaire, The Chief, for a total of 36 holes of championship golf.

The course was designed by John Robinson of Ontario, Canada, who was recently honored as one of the top 50 golf course architects in America. Robinson says he designed this second course with the golf community in mind, intending to provide a great golf experience to golfers of all levels. The Chief, which opened in 2000, was also designed by Robinson.

Hawk's Eye Golf Community will be an affordable family golf development, according to Rowe.  His father, H. Grant Rowe, the owner of Vacation Properties Network, conceived the idea for the community. Rowe, who was also the driving force behind the development of The Legend golf course at Shanty Creek, says that over the previous decade he watched the prices of golf developments skyrocket, with prices reaching levels that prevented most people from being able to afford such a purchase. He believed that he could, in fact, build a beautiful community in Northern Michigan that people could afford and be proud of. Hawks Eye is the result of that vision.

For more information on the Hawks Eye Golf Community, golf packages, and real estate development, call (800) 968-4838 or go to http://www.vpnupnorth.com

*Editors Note: We caught up with Tom Rowe when the course was starting to grow in the fall of 2001. While the show only touches on what was to come, it does allow the viewer to see the exciting terrain. http://michigangolfer.tv/2002shows/show5/newcoursesqt.html

Tom Watson was named the Champions Tour Player of the Year in a balloting of his fellow players, it was announced today by PGA TOUR commissioner Tim Finchem. The latest honor, for which he receives the Jack Nicklaus Trophy, caps a very emotional and memorable 2003 season for Watson.

Perhaps his greatest achievement of the year was the grace, dignity and immeasurable support he lent his longtime friend and caddie, Bruce Edwards, who was diagnosed with ALS in January. Relentless in his support of Edwards and his attempts to fund research to find a cure for ALS, Watson has helped raise and/or contribute almost $3 million for ALS and other charities in 2003. Upon winning the Charles Schwab Cup, the Tour's year-long, points-based competition, he donated the $1 million first-prize annuity to ALS research and patient care, and other charities.

Craig Stadler was the clear-cut winner of the Champions Tour Rookie of the Year award. Since turning 50 in early June, he won three Champions Tour events in 14 starts, including one major championship, the Ford Senior Players Championship. The 12-time PGA TOUR winner finished sixth in Charles Schwab Cup points and 14th on the money list with $1,192,278. He was second to Watson in the Byron Nelson Award with a 69.38 scoring average, had seven top tens and was in the top ten in seven of the Tour's ten statistical categories. Stadler bested Irishman Des Smyth and D.A. Weibring for top rookie honors.

Don Pooley was the unanimous winner of the Champions Tour Comeback Player of the Year. Poised for a good year in 2003 after winning the 2002 U.S. Senior Open Championship in a memorable playoff with Tom Watson, Pooley was forced to undergo surgery in January to repair a labrum tear in his left shoulder, causing him to miss the first 12 events of 2003.

"Looking for a unique Christmas gift? Consider purchasing an inscribed copy
of my book, Pacific Alamo: The Battle for Wake Island, the inspiring World
War II story of a small band of American military personnel, assisted by
civilian construction workers, who boldly battled the Japanese in the war’s
opening days. Their valiant defense restored hope to a nation still reeling
from the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. For $24.95 each, I will mail an
inscribed copy to you in time for the holidays.

Thank you, and have a joyous holiday season.
John F. Wukovits johnwukovits@home.com
Author

“Wukovits’s narrative is a well-written, compelling story. His descriptions
of the air raids and the ferocious battle flow with the engaging fluidity of
a novel.”
Naval History Magazine

“Wukovits has fleshed in a wealth of human detail that brings to life the
defenders, officers, aviators, and laborers.”
WWII History Magazine

For the purists, we have identified one of John's previous stories on the MG http://www.webgolfer.com/mar02/top_tips.html

"Just a couple of miles away and only a couple of years old is the
Fieldstone GC, former site of Arrowhead GC, but taken over by the city of
Auburn Hills, which was like switching Piston basketball from the Silverdome
to the Palace - an improvement. The revised course is the work of
Arthur Hills, and few, if any, do it better."
Jack Saylor

"Golf is twenty  percent mechanics and technique. The other eighty percent is philosophy, humor, tragedy, romance, melodrama, companionship, camaraderie, cussedness, and conversation." -Grantland Rice

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