Archived Golf News

Murray Brothers inducted into The Caddie Hall of Fame‏

[caption id="attachment_1110" align="alignnone" width="584"]Wednesday Sept 16, 2015. @Charles Cherney Photography Wednesday Sept 16, 2015. @Charles Cherney Photography[/caption] Recognized for contributions to caddying following BMW Championship Pro-Am By Gary Holaway, Vice President, Communications Western Golf Association and Evans Scholars Foundation LAKE FOREST, Illinois (September 16, 2015) - Actor Bill Murray and his five brothers - whose experiences as caddies at Indian Hill Club in Winnetka inspired the 1980 comedy classic, “Caddyshack” -were inducted into The Caddie Hall of Fame on Wednesday night at the 2015 BMW Championship following their participation in the Gardner Heidrick Pro-Am at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Illinois. (more…)

BMW Signs On as Official Partner of USA GOLF Federation for Rio 2016 Olympic Games

BMW Signs On as Official Partner of USA GOLF Federation for Rio 2016 Olympic Games Partnership Extends Company’s Support of Golf Ahead of Sport’s Return to Olympic Games. By Katie Kokkinos, BMW of North America, LLC and Chris Smith, PGA TOUR Business Woodcliff Lake, NJ - September 16, 2015: BMW of North America, the Official Mobility Partner of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), announced today that it will add the USA GOLF Federation to its roster of National Governing Body (NGB) partners in advance of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. BMW will provide mobility services including transportation assistance to the USA GOLF Federation leading up to and during the Rio 2016 Games. (more…)

This golfer is not only good — he’s fast, too!

Len Ziehm on GolfBy Len Ziehm Eri Crum arrived at Stanford University in 1994, the same year that Tiger Woods did. They were teammates on the school’s golf team for two years, before Woods started his legendary career as a touring pro. Crum stayed at Stanford, earning his letter in golf his final two seasons, and now he’s still involved in his sport as a professional. His role is a bit different than Woods’, however. Crum has discovered Speedgolf, and he’ll defend his title in the Speedgolf World Championship at The Glen Club in Glenview on Oct. 19-20. In Speedgolf you’re judged on both your score and pace around the course. (more…)

Dawson Armstrong Holes Bunker Shot to Win 2015 Western Amateur

Western Amateur Olympia Fields Find more photos from the Western Amateur in our Flickr album here. From Barry Cronin On the second hole of a sudden death playoff, Dawson Armstrong holed a 20-yard bunker shot for eagle to win the 113th Western Amateur in the most dramatic fashion in memory. Armstrong's stunning shot from the sand fronting the par 5 second hole at Rich Harvest Farms meant that his opponent, Aaron Wise, needed to hole his 25-foot putt to match Armstrong's 3 to continue the playoff. But Wise's putt slid by, and when it did Armstrong fell into the arms of his father, Dale Armstrong, a former mini-tour player who caddied for his son during the two-day match play segment of the championship. (more…)

97th PGA Championship at Whistling Straits

2015 PGA Championship Find more photos from the PGA Championship in our Flickr album here. JASON DAY WINS PGA CHAMPIONSHIP; CLAIMS FIRST MAJOR OF HIS CAREER Jason Day seized the 97th PGA Championship today with a final-round 67 to edge Jordan Spieth by three strokes. Day’s closing 67 included seven birdies, nine pars and two bogeys. Day was playing in his sixth PGA Championship. Before today, his best finish in this Championship was T-8 in 2013 at Oak Hill. The win was the fifth of his career; two have come in three weeks. He won the RBC Canadian Open on July 26. (more…)

No “Gimme’s” Here…Windy City Amateur Tours Offer Competitive Golf for All Skill Levels

By Jim Zuccarelli GWAT, WCGT, NIMAGA, GCAM, and NAGT is an alphabet soup of acronyms that may not be recognizable to the average Windy City golfer, unless they are a member of one of the amateur golf tours that operate in the metro Chicago area. Some are affiliated with nationwide organizations that feed into national championships, while others are locally independent, but all exist to provide an outlet for local golfers to compete in tournaments guided by the USGA rule book. “I played competitive 12-inch softball into my early 50’s, and when I couldn’t play anymore due to injuries, the amateur golf tournaments provided an outlet for me to fill the competitive void,” shared Bill Stuhr of Carpentersville at the Golf Week Amateur Tour event at Harborside in May. Round Lake Beach resident Rob Davis drove 70 miles to the south side of Chicago and offered a different spin. “My friends like to stay close to home and don’t like to play the more expensive courses, so this is a chance for me to play the better courses in the area.” GolfWeek Amateur Tour Chicago (more…)

Erin Hills update: 2017 U.S. Open site keeps getting better

Len Ziehm on GolfBy Len Zeihm ERIN, Wis. - Erin Hills has gotten nothing but better since its opening in 2006. That was clearly evident when the facility on the outskirts of Milwaukee conducted what has become an annual outing leading into its ultimate showing - as the site of the 2017 U.S. Open. Jim Reinhart, general chairman for the big event, was presented with a good opportunity to compare Erin Hills with a similar facility. Chambers Bay, in Washington, hosted a U.S. Open that wasn’t without controversy a week before Erin opened its doors to about 50 media members from around the Midwest. Reinhart tried hard to steer clearly of controversy in making comparisons. "Both courses are in new areas that had never hosted a U.S. Open," said Reinhart. "Both have incredible community support. Both areas are naturally beautiful, but Chambers Bay was manufactured on a gravel pit while Erin Hills’ architects took advantage of a more natural area. Both have fescue fairways, and both play long. Erin Hills is not a true links-style course. Chambers Bay is much more a links style. We have eight times as many trees – we have eight!" (more…)

Let’s Play Two! 36 Holes of Great, Budget Friendly Windy City Golf

By Jim Zuccarelli One of my favorite golfing pastimes is taking a day off from work in the height of the summer and playing 36 holes at two of the fine courses that populate the Windy City Golf landscape. Following are some of the best combinations of courses that won't break your budget (under $90 total green fees, including cart) and within a 30 minute drive of one another (as per Google Maps calculation). You may have to do a little advanced planning to secure the right tee times to get all the holes in before dark, but the courses listed start their discounted pm rates no later than 3 o'clock, which should allow you to finish during the majority of the summer. All the rates are as published or as online tee times on the course websites, so additional savings may be scored with coupons, internet hot deals, senior/junior discounts, etc. So leave your cares and the weekend crowds behind and tee it up at one of the following combo’s that include some of the best layouts the Windy City has to offer: (more…)

America’s Golf Capital in Michigan? Why not?

Len Ziehm on GolfBy Len Ziehm THOMPSONVILLE, Mich. - Crystal Mountain Resort started as a community ski area in 1956. Golf didn’t come until 1977 when one of the owners, Bob Meyer, designed the first nine holes of what is now the Benzie Valley course. That course became an 18-holer a year later, and Bill Newcomb, a well-established Midwest course designer from Indiana, started work on the Mountain Ridge course 15 years later . It was also built nine holes at a time, and the 18-hole layout opened in 1994. It’s understandable that skiing would come first at such Michigan locations. Even now, golf staffers at Crystal Mountain point out that the resort can get 4,000 skiers through in one day compared to only 400 golfers. The numbers speak for themselves. [caption id="attachment_1043" align="alignnone" width="584"]There’s no snow on the ski slopes, but Crystal Mountain’s golf operation is in full swing. There’s no snow on the ski slopes, but Crystal Mountain’s golf operation is in full swing.[/caption] (more…)