By Tim McDonald,
National Golf Editor
For those of you unfortunate enough to live in the North, you must be salivating at the thought of the spring golf season.
Hold on, Tiger. You ain't the man you used to be. You can't just jump up and go straight to the golf course after a long winter of sloth and mold.
Now, you will find any number of charlatans willing to sell you their total golf fitness regimens. These sleazoids always assume you're a golfer interested in a cleaner, healthier way of living and golfing. I've seen you out on the course, and I know that's not the sort of thing you're "into."
So here is my total golf fitness regimen for the "real" golfer:
• For God's sake, you have to strengthen your core! This involves eating really hard food, like jawbreakers. Eat a bag of those and have your neighbor punch you in the gut to see if your core is all it can be.
Options: Month-old fudge, Purina Dog Chow, pine bark.
• You also have to really work your obliques, I mean really work the hell out of them. Here's the perfect exercise for that. Lie flat on your back with knees bent slightly wider than your hips. If you have really fat hips, you're either going to have to really stretch your knees like in a cartoon, like The Elastic Man from India, or just skip this exercise. In fact, if you have really fat hips, just skip playing golf, nobody wants to see you out on the course.
Now, you slim-hipped people reach your hands to the ceiling like you're crying out for the Lord Jesus Christ to spare you from your miserable existence. You can hold light hand-weights, or not. What do I care? Lift your head and chest toward the ceiling and rotate to reach both hands just outside of your fat, right knee. Repeat on the left side. Now, take a breather. Ask Christ for forgiveness.
• Breathing exercises: Breathing properly and deeply is critical, especially for those tense moments on the course when normally you would start crying.
This deep-breathing exercise involves attending your local adult movie house, or calling up one of those sites on your Internet browser. Follow your instincts. It's either that or follow mine, and then you're looking at jail time.
• Horizontal abduction/adduction: I can't give you much help here, because I always get "horizontal" confused with "vertical," and I have no idea what adduction is. Who came up with that word, anyway? It's a stupid word and should be eliminated from the English language, if it's even English.
• Standing hip rotation: Don't do this. It makes you look like a girl.
• Alcohol fitness: How many times have you lost $2 Nassaus because while you were getting hamboned, your playing partners were just holding up that bottle of Jack Black pretending to drink?
Well, no need to waste good liquor. You can still drink and maintain your competitive edge. You just need to build up a tolerance. Stand upright in a dark closet, with a wide stance, and suck it down. Keep drinking until your wife leaves you.
• Aerobics: Ha! Don't make me laugh. This is golf!
• Putting: Don't bother to practice putting. Putting in golf is overrated. I play golf maybe 200 times a year and I've yet to meet anyone who can putt. You either make it or you don't. If you miss, just keep putting until the ball goes in the hole. Simple.
• Seniors: As we age, our bodies react differently, so seniors must prepare for golf differently than young punks. An important thing to remember is that there is an inverse relationship of increased ear hair to laughably short drives off the tee.
So keep those ear hairs trim and neat. If you're proud of your thick mane of ear hair, don't sweat it. If you're short off the tee, you're probably small in other areas, and I think you know what I'm talking about.
• Excuses: A healthy psychological outlook is a must for Better Golf. If you can convince yourself that the snap hook you hit into the weeds over there is not your doing at all, you'll retain the confidence needed to excel in the game.
The first time you smack one of your all-too-typical lousy shots, turn to your playing partner and snarl," "Will you stop that!" Look at him, looking all hurt and everything. Who would have thought golf fitness could be so much fun?
• Torque development in the downswing: This is so important, I can barely contain myself. This is vital to any golfer who has ever wanted to improve his score. You could even say it is absolutely critical in terms of reaching your full potential as a golfer and knowing what it is to be truly human.
• Alignment and posture: Face the target squarely and stand erect, with your rump jutting out slightly. Feels a little silly, doesn't it? Can you think of another situation in life where you would position yourself in such an odd manner? I can't.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
Buffoni's first impression of Johnson proves spot on
In 2002, Zach Johnson came to Milwaukee for the Miller Lite Oakwood Classic with little fanfare. He was no world beater, no hotshot Tiger Woods clone, just a kid from Iowa with a dream.
Johnson tied for eighth place in the Hooters Tour event at the Oakwood Park Golf Course that week and earned the princely sum of $2,482.50.
More important, he met Brad Buffoni of Mequon, the executive vice president of SFX World Sports Management. The two hit it off and entered into a business relationship that evolved into a friendship.
"My story is probably different than most," said Johnson, who will attempt to defend his Masters title this week in Augusta, Ga. "A lot of young guys that have agents are typically college all-Americans or phenoms. Here I am, playing the mini-tours, trying to work my way up.
"Brad saw something in me. He said, 'This guy has a chance to go somewhere.' "
The truth was, Buffoni couldn't have predicted Johnson would one day win the Masters any more than he could have predicted the winning lottery numbers. But he did see qualities that made Johnson stand out in the mini-tour crowd.
A few months earlier Johnson had qualified to play in the PGA Tour's BellSouth Classic. He made the cut and surprised many by playing well on the weekend. However, a devastating four-putt on the 72nd hole cost him a top-10 finish and tens of thousands of dollars.
"He stood to earn more than $100,000 and he's never seen anything like that before," said Buffoni, who was watching the tournament on television. "He's going to finish in the top 10, which means he gets to play the next week's PGA Tour event. And he four-putts and it's all gone.
Eye-catching composure
"NBC interviewed him afterward and I was so impressed by how he handled a very difficult situation that I made a note and wrote his name down. I started following his results on the Hooters Tour and it became obvious quickly that he was one of the tour's better players."
A few months later, after an introductory phone call, Buffoni met Johnson at the now-defunct Hooters Tour event at Oakwood Park.
"At that time there was not a whole lot he could do for me because my résumé was very thin," Johnson said. "He was investing in my future. To me, it was a no-brainer (to sign with Buffoni). Plus, we just connected as guys."
It turned out Buffoni's intuition was spot on.
In 2003, Johnson won twice on the Nationwide Tour and was named player of the year. He won in just his 13th start on the PGA Tour in '04 (the BellSouth Classic, no less). And last year, on a cold Easter Sunday afternoon in Augusta, he birdied three of the final six holes to win the 71st Masters Tournament.
Not only did he shoot a 69 on a day the scoring average topped 74, but he overcame the looming specter of Tiger Woods, who seemed destined to win a fifth green jacket after taking the lead early in the final round.
"It was an out-of-body experience," Johnson said. "Just joining that fraternity (of champions) - you're talking about the men who pioneered the game of golf - joining those guys and being able to wear that jacket for the rest of my life is something that is very, very special."
Buffoni walked every step of the final round with Johnson, who happened to be paired with Vaughn Taylor, another of Buffoni's clients. Taylor, an Augusta native, struggled to a 75 and tied for 10th place.
"It was incredibly bittersweet, and a very tough situation for me personally," said Buffoni, a 1985 graduate of Homestead High School and one of four partners in SFX World Sports Management, which has offices in Mequon, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis and Reston, Va.
After Johnson putted out on No. 18 he retreated to the clubhouse, huddled with Buffoni and waited for the last two groups to finish. When Woods failed to hole his second shot on the 72nd hole, it was official.
Suddenly in demand
Immediately, Johnson was catapulted into the chaos that is the territory of Masters champions.
He was whisked to Butler Cabin for the formal CBS interview, to the green jacket ceremony, to the media auditorium and then back to the clubhouse for the members' party. He graciously stayed until midnight, making it a point to speak to every single member in the room.
Buffoni, meanwhile, was frantic because he had no access to a cell phone; they aren't allowed on the grounds at Augusta National.
"I had Tour officials coming to me saying, 'Letterman wants you, this show called,' " he said. "I had no way of getting back to them. When I finally got to my Blackberry that night, I probably had 275 new e-mails and 200-plus voice mails. As quickly as I could open them, five more would come in because I had used up my memory and they were queued up.
"It probably was a month and a half before my unread e-mails dipped below 50."
The next morning, the PGA Tour flew Johnson and Buffoni by private jet to New York for a whirlwind tour.
"We did Dan Patrick's radio show, ESPN's 'Cold Pizza,' an interview with the New York Times, CNN, as well as Letterman that day," Buffoni said. "We stayed overnight, woke up the next morning and did 'Regis and Kelly,' flew back to Augusta, picked up Zach's RV and drove to Hilton Head so he could honor his commitment to play in the (Verizon Heritage) pro-am.
"In between Augusta and Hilton Head there was about an hour when we had no cell phone coverage and we were able to catch our breath. That's when it kind of hit us: 'What's going on here?' "
Johnson, a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and a devout Christian with a likable boy-next-door quality, already had been a Hawkeye State celebrity. Now, he was a hero.
Thousands attended a day in his honor in a driving rain at the State Capitol and Buffoni found himself besieged with requests from grandmothers who wanted Johnson to drop in on birthday parties and coaches who wanted him to throw out the first pitch at Little League games.
Return policy
It's Buffoni's policy to return every phone call or e-mail, no matter how seemingly trivial. He's also available to his clients by phone 24 hours a day and once took a 4 a.m. call from a panicked Johnson, whose golf clubs went missing after a flight to the British Open.
"Brad has been inundated," Johnson said. "I don't know how he does it. Sometimes it's overwhelming, but it's also very, very neat. I'm learning how to say no. It's hard, because they're all worthy, legitimate requests."
Said Buffoni: "My guess is that Zach has satisfied more demands than any Masters champion in recent history."
Along with the $1,305,000 first-prize money, Johnson hit the jackpot because all his endorsement contracts were up at the end of the 2007 season. Buffoni negotiated new deals with sponsors Aegon, TransAmerica, RSM McGladrey and Titleist that will "give him a lifetime of financial security."
"He's such a marketable guy," Buffoni added. "He's beyond reproach. He's authentic, sincere and completely genuine. Zach is a great role model, a very normal guy who is very accessible and one that people relate well to. He's a marketer's dream."
On Tuesday, Johnson will preside over the Champions Dinner at Augusta National, and two days later he'll begin defense of his Masters title. Buffoni will be there with him, walking every step of the way.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Experts can help with swing distance
If you're like most golfers and average between 210 and 230 yards off the tee, there's bad news and good news.
The bad news is that you're probably never going to smash a 300-yard drive, unless you tee off downwind and bounce one off the cart path. The good news is that you probably can add some distance.
Representatives from equipment companies and expert club fitters at the Journal Sentinel Golf Show at State Fair Park are willing to help. The three-day show opened Friday and concludes Sunday.
"I think the hardest thing to do in golf is to speed up your swing," said Al Rohleder, a fitting specialist with Grafton-based TourSwing Golf, which specializes in custom drivers.
"You're pretty much stuck with what you've got, but you can hit it farther by hitting it better."
Paul Mette of Cocoa, Fla., who finished 12th in the senior division at the Re/Max World Long Drive Championship, said all golfers should be fitted for equipment that will help them maximize their talent.
"Most people are swinging too stiff a shaft," Mette said. "I see it all the time. If you want to optimize your speed, you've got to get fitted."
TourSwing and other equipment companies use sophisticated launch monitors that measure ball speed off the club face, launch angle and spin rate and then project carry and roll.
The idea is to find the head-shaft combination that gives the golfer the optimum launch angle and spin rate for his or her swing.
"Everybody loads and unloads (the shaft) at a different point in their swing," Mette said. "You can get a lot more yards if you're fitted and you've got the right equipment."
Golf Show attendees can take a few swings on TourSwing's launch monitor to find out where they stand. Rohleder or owner Tim Chopp usually can show a golfer how he can get more yards within minutes.
What a deal: There are a lot of good deals and early season specials at the show, but it's hard to beat the deal being offered by the Nauvoo Great River Road Golf Club in Nauvoo, Ill.
For $55 a day, golfers get unlimited golf with motorized cart and a room in a condo on the course.
"If you check in on Monday or Tuesday, it's $48," said Jeff Stevenson, the event coordinator at Nauvoo. "Warren Buffet said price is what you pay; value is what you get. If we can't get you to travel, you're not coming."
Nauvoo is about 300 miles southwest of Milwaukee, on the bluffs of the Mississippi River in western Illinois (www.golfnauvoo.com).
Favre memorabilia hot:Edward P. Carter III, a salesman for Legends of the Field of Hartford, said demand for Brett Favre memorabilia "has gone through the roof" since the Green Bay Packers quarterback announced his retirement.
Legends of the Field has a booth at the show and is selling officially licensed Favre memorabilia.
Long winter:Chris Foley, a PGA professional representing the Brainerd Golf Trail in Brainerd, Minn., said it would be several weeks before the golf courses open in that area.
Brainerd is two hours northwest of Minneapolis.
"It's been as cold as it is here (in Milwaukee), but not nearly as snowy," Foley said.
Golf courses in northern Wisconsin are targeting mid-April to open, several course owners and professionals said.
Chip shots: Golfers who make a tee time reservation and play at Erin Hills through May 18 pay a reduced rate of $95. Erin Hills recently was awarded the 2011 U.S. Amateur by the United States Golf Association. . . .
When Sweetgrass Golf Club opens this summer in Harris, Mich., the Upper Peninsula will have three top-notch public courses. TimberStone in Iron Mountain and Greywalls in Marquette already are on many golfers' must-play lists.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Van Sickle Defends Tournament Title, MU Runners-Up
MILWAUKEE - Mike Van Sickle used back-to-back sub-70 rounds to defend his title at the Ron Smith/USF Invitational on Sunday. Van Sickle's victory at the Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club in Dade City, Fla. was the Marquette junior's sixth tournament victory of his career, a school record. Meanwhile, Marquette tied for second place, garnering the team's fifth top-five finish in six tournaments thus far in 2007-08.
"As far as the tournament goes, I felt this is a very solid start to our spring season," said head coach Tim Grogan. "It was a goal of ours to come out and be competitive right away."
Van Sickle followed up his round of 67 yesterday at the par-72 South Course with a 69 on Sunday. His final tally of 208 (72-67-69) and four-stroke margin over the three individuals that tied for second place is especially impressive considering Van Sickle was seven strokes off the lead after the first round.
"He just got better as the tournament went on," Grogan said of Van Sickle. "Even though it wasn't his lowest score, I thought his last round was his best. It was windy and the course conditions were tough."
Van Sickle carded 13 birdies and an eagle over the course of the three-day event and boasted a 69.33 stroke average.
Freshman Kelly Kretz also had a strong showing Sunday with a two-under 70. Kretz finished at 220 (74-76-70). Ted Gray posted a 222 (75-73-74), Michael Bielawski came in at 225 (77-72-76) and Dustin Schwab at 230 (76-80-74).
Marquette as a team tied with Florida Southern, both with scores of 872. Middle Tennessee State hung on for the win at six-under 858. The Golden Eagles also finished ahead of BIG EAST opponents DePaul (877) and host USF (883). Marquette was tied for fourth after the second round.
"Middle Tennessee State played really well - they were hard to catch," admitted Grogan. "But we had the second-best score on the last day. I think our guys were a little bit rusty, but that's to be expected. We know there's room for improvement. You can tell that all of the work we've been doing in the indoor putting green has paid off."
This was MU's first event of the spring season. The Golden Eagles will not return to competition until the Pinehurst Intercollegiate which is set to begin March 16.
Ron Smith/USF Invitational
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Dade City, Fla.
Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club
Par 72 / 7,084 yards
MU Individuals
1) Mike Van Sickle 208 (72-67-69)
T26) Kelly Kretz 220 (74-76-70)
T32) Ted Gray 222 (75-73-74)
T50) Michael Bielawski 225 (77-72-76)
T68) Dustin Schwab 230 (76-80-74)
1) Middle Tennessee State 858 (287-280-291)
T2) Marquette 872 (297-288-287)
T2) Florida Southern 872 (296-292-284)
4) Southeastern Louisiana 875 (293-284-298)
5) DePaul 877 (296-292-289)
6) Eastern Michigan 882 (301-292-289)
7) USF 883 (294-293-296)
8) VCU 884 (291-296-297)
9) Columbus State 888 (301-284-303)
T10) Missouri 889 (301-297-291)
T10) Jacksonville State 889 (299-284-306)
T10) Troy 889 (303-285-301)
13) Texas-San Antonio 890 (298-291-301)
14) Austin Peay 893 (303-289-301)
15) Arkansas State 900 (300-297-303)
16) Xavier 901 (302-299-300)
17) Rhode Island 906 (304-293-309)
18) Nebraska 914 (305-302-307)
Badgers Remain in 11th after Day Two of Rio Verde Invitational
After the second round of the Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational, the Wisconsin women’s golf team remains in 11th place with its total score of 613 (308-305). Notre Dame leads the 18-team field with its score of 584 (294-290).
Sophomore Kelsey Verbeten now leads UW with her score of 150 (78-72). The Green Bay, Wis. native shot a career-low 72 Saturday and is in a four-way tie for 17th.
Katie Elliot is tied for 31st with 154, after her second round score of 79. Jeana Dahl is one stroke behind Elliot at 155 (79-76).
Isabel Alvarez is tied for 43rd with her total score of 156 (76-80). Carly Werwie finished two strokes better Saturday as she shot 78 and is tied for 61st. Rounding out the competitors for UW is Beth Weinstein as she is tied for 70th with her total score of 160 (80-80).
The Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational concludes Sunday at the Quail Run Golf Course.
Whistling Straits, Blackwolf Run have put Kohler, Wisconsin on the golf map
KOHLER,
That man, immortalized on the Whistling Straits badge, is Herb Kohler - the family heir responsible for making Kohler a prominent fixture in golf, beginning in the late 1980s.
Originally a factory town home to the Kohler empire, today its a working village and remains home to over 7,000 Kohler employees - the company's largest hub in
Kohler's golf is world class: Four Pete Dye-designed courses and three of them are nationally ranked by just about every publication. It's a golfer's dream, and throw in the five-star accommodations and newly-renovated Waters Spa and there's no better destination in the
Kohler Golf Courses: Whistling Straits
About a fifteen minute drive from Kohler, the
The shore side land was dead flat when Herb Kohler got his hands on it, and he commissioned Pete Dye to create a landscape along the lines of Ballybunion in
The Straits Course - The Straits was commissioned by Kohler with the intention to stage the world's biggest professional championships and it's succeeded mightily. This is where the PGA Championship was held in 2004 and the Senior U.S. Open will be held in the summer of 2007. The Straits course has already signed on for the 2010 and 2015 PGA Championships as well as the 2020 Ryder Cup Matches.
What this means for the mid-handicapper however is a course that won't do you any favors. It's breathtakingly beautiful, overlooking Lake Michigan, whose views, 60 miles across to
But it's a sinister, intimidating round that will make most scorecards ugly. The par-3 7th that sits right next to the lake is one of the more photogenic holes - and the par-3 17th, whose green is perched over the lake and about a 20-foot drop off to bunkers, is certainly the most intimidating of the bunch.
The Irish Course - The Irish course lacks the lake views at every turn (though you will get a handful) but the hole variety and rugged landscape give it its own character. It's a little more player-friendly with wider landing zones, but you'll still get the barrage of bunkering and rolling dunes. The par-3 13th, "Blind Man's Bluff," is also one of the property's most memorable par-3s, featuring a blind shot over dunes to a massive, 14,000 square-foot green.
Sweetening the deal on the Irish is the free replays it offers to those who book a package through Destination Kohler - a $150 value.
Blackwolf Run
Blackwolf Run is Kohler's original golf facility, just a mile down the road from the center of town and the American Club hotel. It has its own championship pedigree, playing host to the LPGA's 1998 U.S. Women's Open, when Se Ri Pak took home the title. The Open course featured nine holes from each of its two championship courses: The Meadow Valleys and the River Course.
The River Course: The River course winds along lowland by the Sheboygan River Bed. The wooded, rolling parkland course is a contrast to the Straits in ambiance but not difficulty. Despite a championship yardage of under 7,000 yards, the River course is a beast.
The two best holes play with the river to the right: the short par-4 9th that begs to be greened from the tee box and demands golfers play between trees and the river to a narrow chute. Then there's the par-3 13th hole - playing through trees and over the river as well. It's one of the most unique par-3s you'll ever play.
Meadow Valleys: The
Unlike the River course, the
Kohler off-course
The main accommodation facility is the five-star American Club. A beautiful example of Tudor architecture, it was built at the turn of the 20th century to house immigrant factory workers in Kohler. It's since been expanded and upgraded and is now an all-encompassing hotel with conference centers, gardens and several restaurants.
The Kohler Waters Spa has recently received its own rejuvenation and is now one of
Guests of the American Club also receive free access to the Sports Core fitness center, which features a full gym as well as lakeside beach and patio for the leisurely-minded.
Trappers Turn Golf Club announces upgraded amenities for '08
WISCONSIN DELLS, Wisc. -- As the award-winning Trappers Turn Golf Club in Wisconsin Dells, WI enters its third season under the ownership of Kalahari Resort, the 27-hole course and club is swinging into the 2008 season with an impressive list of upgraded amenities including the new “Kalahari Golf Academy at Trappers Turn,” an expanded clubhouse, course improvements and more.
On the course, Trappers Turn will offer countless opportunities for golfers to improve their game with the new “Kalahari Golf Academy at Trappers Turn.” Programs include: private instruction, one to five-day camps for juniors and adults, commuter junior programs, corporate entertainment, professional club fitting, video analysis and more. The seasoned instructional team is led by Jason Manke, a PGA golf professional whose diverse industry experience includes serving as an instructor at a number of courses including the PGA Tour’s TPC at Sawgrass and as a featured instructor at Earl Woods National Youth Golf Academy. Locally, Manke has instructed at the Golf Foundation of Wisconsin and The Oaks Golf Course.
“We wanted to take the championship golf at Trappers Turn to another level by offering top-notch instruction. Our guests will be able to customize their learning experience by choosing anything from an hour of instruction up to a five-day camp which includes accommodations at Kalahari Resort,” says Todd Nelson, president and owner of Kalahari Resorts.
When it opens for the 2008 golf season, the expanded Trappers Turn Clubhouse will be able to host up to 250 guests within its banquet facility. In addition, the beautifully remodeled veranda, overlooking the serene Mystic Lake as well as the challenging par five finishing hole on the Lake course, will seat an additional 70 guests. The expansion will provide guests with the opportunity to hold private functions and will feature a billiard room, business center, Wi-Fi throughout the building and an expanded Pro Shop. The newly refurbished clubhouse will also feature expanded catering services as well as a new dining menu featuring steak, seafood and a Sunday brunch boasting an impressive display of culinary art.
Nelson adds, “We have enhanced Trappers Turn with the same quality and attention to detail that has made our African-themed Kalahari Resort one of the most exciting and sought-after destinations in the Midwest. We will continue to make improvements to Trappers Turn to continue its great tradition of golf in Wisconsin.”
Designed by two-time U.S. Open champion Andy North and world-renowned golf course architect Roger Packard, Trappers Turn earned a 4 ½-star rating from Golf Digest’s “Best Places to Play” in 2004, the only course in the Wisconsin Dells area to achieve such a rating. Trappers Turn continues to display its commitment to excellence by offering guests an outstanding golf experience with new amenities and course and practice facility improvements including:
New and expanded tee boxes which will add yardage to the course and provide larger teeing areas.
More than 3,000 feet of drain tile, drastically reducing cart path restrictions.
The addition of target bunkers to all target greens throughout the practice facility.
The second year of the state-of-the-art GPS-stocked golf carts which provides: exact distances, pointers for each hole and the option for golfers to order food and beverage while on the course.
Gorgeous new landscaping elements and cart path curbing.
Special family nights featuring shorter tees which will allow golfers of all abilities to enjoy Trappers Turn and improve their skills.
About Kalahari Resort-Wisconsin Dells
Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells is a “world-away” waterpark experience in the heart of the Midwest. Situated along I-90/94, the authentically African-themed Kalahari Resort greets Wisconsin Dells visitors with a sneak peek at its colorful web of award-winning outdoor and indoor waterpark slides, attractions, and activities. The resort is home to America’s largest indoor waterpark, and offers more than one million gallons of water fun, 740 guestrooms, the full-service Spa Kalahari and Salon, a fully equipped fitness center, on-site restaurants including Kahunaville, unique retail shops, a 15-screen cinema and a state-of-the-art convention center that includes 100,000 square feet of meeting space. Kalahari also features Trappers Turn, a 27-hole award-winning golf course. For reservations and guest information, call 1-877-KALAHARI (525-2427) or visit: www.KalahariResorts.com.
About Trappers Turn
Carved by glaciers, the rolling fairways of Trappers Turn 27-hole award-winning golf course, weave through dense hardwood forests. Amenities include a 30-acre practice facility and golf carts featuring GPS. After playing 18, 27 or 36 holes, golfers can unwind on the screened veranda which boasts incredible panoramic views of the spring-fed Mystic Lake. Trappers Turn Golf Club also offers its guests a dining room, bar and grill, billiard room, business center, a fully equipped Pro Shop and locker rooms. For golf vacation hotel packages call 1-877-525-2427. For tee times call 1-800-221-8876 or visit www.TrappersTurn.com
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Ryan Wieme is PGA Assistant of the Year
Ryan Wieme, an assistant at University Ridge Golf Course, was named the Assistant Golf Professional of the Year by the Wisconsin PGA when it announced its 2008 WPGA Special Awards winners Jan. 24. The awards recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of the Wisconsin Golf Professionals on and off the course.
The award winners will be honored at a reception on Monday, March 17 at the Brookfield Suites. This reception is part of the Wisconsin PGA Spring Meeting and Merchandise Show.
Wieme has been employed at University Ridge since 2001. He has served as the golf operations manager from 2004-present, and was the assistant operations manager prior to that. He began at the Ridge in 1999 as the assistant guest service manager before assuming the head guest service manager position in 2001. He became a full-time assistant golf professional in 2002 and has experience in all facets of golf course management including merchandising, maintenance, marketing, tournament coordination and instruction.
Wieme started the University Ridge Junior Golf Program which had over 100 participants this past season. As the golf operations manager at the club, he oversees 48 employees in three different departments. He is also the head buyer for the golf course’s award winning pro shop and is one of only two PGA members in Wisconsin to be certified by the PGA of America in General Management. He also developed and has maintained the University Ridge Web site since 2002.
A 2001 graduate in psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Wieme recorded four top-10 finishes in PGA section events in 2007, and had low medalist honors for his Playing Ability Test recorded in 2000. He has volunteered with the annual Ping Drive, Chip and Putt competitions held at University Ridge since 2002, and was a volunteer at the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in 2004. He has been a finalist for Wisconsin Assistant Golf Professional the past two years.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Badgers Win in Spring Season Opener
The Wisconsin women’s golf team opened up the 2008 spring season in winning fashion Sunday, defeating Indiana, 10-8 for the Westbrook Cup in Peoria, Ariz.
The teams played a Nassau format, with each match counting as three points. The points broke down as a point awarded for the front nine, back nine and overall score. Six golfers competed for Wisconsin and the team was lead by junior Jeana Dahl. The Fargo, N.D. native scored 2.5 points for Wisconsin with her team-low score of 72.
Senior Katie Elliott, who led the Badgers in scoring average this fall, also scored 2.5 team points and shot a 73. Junior Natasha Lopez shot a 74 but did not score any team points while junior Isabel Alvarez tallied two points after shooting a 76.
Sophomore Kelsey Verbeten and freshman Carly Werwie also competed and both shot a 77. Verbeten lost her match but scored one point while Werwie won by scoring two points.
The Badgers will take a weekend off before resuming the spring schedule Feb. 24-26 in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico for the Lady Puerto Rico Classic. Be sure to check back to uwbadgers.com throughout the season for updates from the Wisconsin women’s golf team.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Blackwolf Run Once Again Makes Golf America's Top 100
Blackwolf Run (River), WI, USA
8th hole, 510 yards; An exhilarating tee shot, with plenty of strategic merit as well. From a tee perched well above the fairway, the player has plenty of room to let out the shaft as the fairway (which seems miles away) is ample, but to reach the green in two (a realistic proposition) he must go over the corner of this dogleg right. The approach is to a nicely rolling green, with a drop-off on the lower left side. The one quibble the authors have is that the right fairway near the green levels off and does not encourage a nice, sweeping hook to bounce into the green. With a bit more right-to-left slope, the shot would be most enjoyable as it 'fits' the eye so well.
What a wonderful time to get a good drive away!
The view from the 8th fairway back up to the tee indicates just how far downhill the tee ball is.
Taking the route of the upper fairway is the best way to reach the 8th in two.
9th hole, 330 yards; The short two-shot 9th, which can be played several ways, is one of the architect's all-time favorites.
Should the golfer go left of the trees or straight at the 9th green?
11th hole, 560 yards;
From behind the 11th with the key tree for the second in the background.
12th hole, 435 yards: The author's favorite hole on the course, this big two shotter offers two distinct routes off the tee -- a safe shot down the right (which would leave almost no chance to reach the green in two) or an attacking drive over the water on the left (about a 220 yard carry). Sharp fairway bunkers beyond the water force the player to make a choice between left and right - he cannot 'sort of' go left, or he will be pitching the ball out of the bunker with his sand iron. The approach from the left side opens the green that is set flush against the Sheboygan River.
13th hole, 195 yards: The first time golfer stands on the tee and may think this hole is a hoax: a long one shotter over the river (which continues to wrap around the right side of the green) with trees encroaching from the left. Is the only play to throw a long-iron or fairway wood out to the right, over the river, and hope that it will hook back onto the green? In practice, though, this hole is more straightforward - again, the player must take the time to get to know the course. Intimidating as those trees on the left are, a player can comfortably clear them with a 3-iron. The other interesting part of the hole is that the player is so preoccupied with the water short and to the right and the trees on the left that he forgets about the two greenside bunkers to the left that see more than their share of action.
The intimidating tee shot at the one shot 13th.
14th hole, 310 yards: A strategic, if manufactured, hole. The tee shot is a version of the Cape, only with probably a long-iron or fairway wood (or you could be like Steve Elkington and Ernie Els and just go after the green with a driver!). The closer one plays to the water, the more one can see of the green and the more straightforward approach he will have, for there is a large berm that juts in from the left at the 70 yard mark that hides the view of the green from the left side of the fairway. What, then, is so bad with having a blind approach for a pitch shot? Why risk the water just to see the green? The main reason is not the visibility but the front-left bunker that comes very much in play for an approach from the left and the player is pitching more toward the water with his second.
The mound some 80 yards shy of the 14th green is visible away from the water.
16th hole, 540 yards: A tremendous three shot hole that cascades down the hill to a green set on the edge of the river. The large linden tree on the edge of the river some 50 yards shy of the green makes the hole: What does the player do with his second? He could (1) play down the right side of the fairway, (2) lay back far enough so that he can go over the tree or (3) place his second back and left of the tree so that he can play his third to the left of the tree. On the rare days when a player is considering going for the green with his second, the tree forces his play - to go for the green he must go left of the tree and over the river. Again he cannot 'sort of' go for the green and play to be ten yards short and right of the green. The player must either go for the green or lay up to 60 yards.
The view of the 16th after a good tee shot and the tree and Sheboygan River
that dominate the second and third shots.
17th, 170 yards: A terrific example of the merits of an angled green. Again, plenty of room to the right to play away from the water, but with little chance of making a three. When the hole is all the way in the back of the long green and the player takes enough club to reach the hole but, just before impact, has second thoughts and decides to bail slightly to the right, he is in real trouble. With an angled green such as this one, there is a correct line for a certain club, and that line varies with each club. With a short club the line is to the right, but with a long club the line is left. The player must make up his mind and play decisively.
This is the kind of golf that the authors find mesmerizing because the course makes one think. The more decisive one is, the better one's chances. As you play it more, you begin to appreciate the numerous risk reward options. You place yourself less and less in those dreaded three putt zones, you appreciate when to attack and when to be conservative. A typical round will include a couple of birdies but just as many double bogeys or worse. As a match play course, without card and pencil in hand, the player is at liberty to enjoy the temptations of this excellent design. Just make sure you take the time to get to know it.
Flooded to form a lateral water hazard for the 1998 U.S. Women's Open,
the area left of the 18th has now been formalized into a bunker.
8th hole, 510 yards; An exhilarating tee shot, with plenty of strategic merit as well. From a tee perched well above the fairway, the player has plenty of room to let out the shaft as the fairway (which seems miles away) is ample, but to reach the green in two (a realistic proposition) he must go over the corner of this dogleg right. The approach is to a nicely rolling green, with a drop-off on the lower left side. The one quibble the authors have is that the right fairway near the green levels off and does not encourage a nice, sweeping hook to bounce into the green. With a bit more right-to-left slope, the shot would be most enjoyable as it 'fits' the eye so well.
What a wonderful time to get a good drive away!
The view from the 8th fairway back up to the tee indicates just how far downhill the tee ball is.
Taking the route of the upper fairway is the best way to reach the 8th in two.
9th hole, 330 yards; The short two-shot 9th, which can be played several ways, is one of the architect's all-time favorites.
Should the golfer go left of the trees or straight at the 9th green?
11th hole, 560 yards;
From behind the 11th with the key tree for the second in the background.
12th hole, 435 yards: The author's favorite hole on the course, this big two shotter offers two distinct routes off the tee -- a safe shot down the right (which would leave almost no chance to reach the green in two) or an attacking drive over the water on the left (about a 220 yard carry). Sharp fairway bunkers beyond the water force the player to make a choice between left and right - he cannot 'sort of' go left, or he will be pitching the ball out of the bunker with his sand iron. The approach from the left side opens the green that is set flush against the Sheboygan River.
13th hole, 195 yards: The first time golfer stands on the tee and may think this hole is a hoax: a long one shotter over the river (which continues to wrap around the right side of the green) with trees encroaching from the left. Is the only play to throw a long-iron or fairway wood out to the right, over the river, and hope that it will hook back onto the green? In practice, though, this hole is more straightforward - again, the player must take the time to get to know the course. Intimidating as those trees on the left are, a player can comfortably clear them with a 3-iron. The other interesting part of the hole is that the player is so preoccupied with the water short and to the right and the trees on the left that he forgets about the two greenside bunkers to the left that see more than their share of action.
The intimidating tee shot at the one shot 13th.
14th hole, 310 yards: A strategic, if manufactured, hole. The tee shot is a version of the Cape, only with probably a long-iron or fairway wood (or you could be like Steve Elkington and Ernie Els and just go after the green with a driver!). The closer one plays to the water, the more one can see of the green and the more straightforward approach he will have, for there is a large berm that juts in from the left at the 70 yard mark that hides the view of the green from the left side of the fairway. What, then, is so bad with having a blind approach for a pitch shot? Why risk the water just to see the green? The main reason is not the visibility but the front-left bunker that comes very much in play for an approach from the left and the player is pitching more toward the water with his second.
The mound some 80 yards shy of the 14th green is visible away from the water.
16th hole, 540 yards: A tremendous three shot hole that cascades down the hill to a green set on the edge of the river. The large linden tree on the edge of the river some 50 yards shy of the green makes the hole: What does the player do with his second? He could (1) play down the right side of the fairway, (2) lay back far enough so that he can go over the tree or (3) place his second back and left of the tree so that he can play his third to the left of the tree. On the rare days when a player is considering going for the green with his second, the tree forces his play - to go for the green he must go left of the tree and over the river. Again he cannot 'sort of' go for the green and play to be ten yards short and right of the green. The player must either go for the green or lay up to 60 yards.
The view of the 16th after a good tee shot and the tree and Sheboygan River
that dominate the second and third shots.
17th, 170 yards: A terrific example of the merits of an angled green. Again, plenty of room to the right to play away from the water, but with little chance of making a three. When the hole is all the way in the back of the long green and the player takes enough club to reach the hole but, just before impact, has second thoughts and decides to bail slightly to the right, he is in real trouble. With an angled green such as this one, there is a correct line for a certain club, and that line varies with each club. With a short club the line is to the right, but with a long club the line is left. The player must make up his mind and play decisively.
This is the kind of golf that the authors find mesmerizing because the course makes one think. The more decisive one is, the better one's chances. As you play it more, you begin to appreciate the numerous risk reward options. You place yourself less and less in those dreaded three putt zones, you appreciate when to attack and when to be conservative. A typical round will include a couple of birdies but just as many double bogeys or worse. As a match play course, without card and pencil in hand, the player is at liberty to enjoy the temptations of this excellent design. Just make sure you take the time to get to know it.
Flooded to form a lateral water hazard for the 1998 U.S. Women's Open,
the area left of the 18th has now been formalized into a bunker.
Hidden Glen at Bentdale Farms Golf Club
Like many great endeavors the dream to build the first new private golf club in Greater Milwaukee, Wisconsin in over 30 years began with good food, good drink and good companionship at a dinner in 1998. On May 4, 2001 after 2 years of planning and 2 years of construction Hidden Glen at Bentdale Farms opened for play.
P.B. Dye�s and the courses owners� vision for the course followed four characteristics. 'First, each hole had to be memorable. Each hole needs to be distinct in the golfer�s mind that they can play the hole over and over in their head after teeing it up on the hole just once. Second, the course has to be fun. It has to be the kind of course that people enjoy playing, weather they are a scratch golfer or a 35 handicap. Third, it has to be playable. Some of the so-called greatest courses are among the most unplayable of the lot. And finally, the course must be so exciting, so fun to play that it inspires the golfer to play round after round.'
Designing and construction of the course was an organic process where relying on the implementation of well defined design and construction documents was abandoned in favor of one that emphasized the more creative and intuitive design and construction approach of orchestration. In a letter that P.B. wrote regarding the courses design he noted, 'Hidden Glen was not created on computer, but on the land itself. We used natural soils and natural land configurations to create a masterpiece. We took care to make each hole a true original.' In this vein there were a total of only 11 hand drawn sketches done for the courses design. These included a routing map drawn over a survey and 10 hole sketches done on 8 � x 11 legal pad paper. The remainder of the courses design was done in the field as the course was being built.
Instead of bidding out the project to a golf course contractor all aspects of the project were self performed by the owner. Construction crews consisting of heavy equipment operators, irrigation specialists, drainage specialists and general labors were hired directly by the owner and equipment such as bulldozers, backhoes, and earthmovers, were rented on a monthly basis. This approach provided the architect the required flexibility to work directly with the people building the course while giving the owners direct involvement in monitoring budgets and time.
Much of what gets built today is the product of well-crafted contracts and ridged design and construction documents. This might be due to modern societies punitive nature or western culture�s need for rationality. Regardless of its source, it has a tendency to promote a lack of richness and inventiveness in our built environment. The golf course at Hidden Glen at Bentdale Farms is an example of what can happen when experience, trust and imagination are the basis of entering into a venture rather than scripted creativity.
The Course
The clubs property is composed of 220 acres of which the golf course and practice areas occupy 180 acres. The course is a par 72 with four sets of tees: forward = 5278 yards, member = 6255 yards, championship = 6621 yards and tournament = 7017. The grasses used are Providence Bent for the greens, Putter Bent for the fairways and tees, Blue/Rye mixture for rough and Fine Fescue on outside berms. There are 23 acres of water features with three major lakes, four wetland lakes, two creaks with 11 holes where water comes into play.
P.B. Dye's routing for Hidden Glen at Bentdale Farms Golf Club.
The course was design so that the path for a player was from the parking lot to the clubhouse, from the clubhouse to the practice range then to the 1st hole. The course is designed as a walking course. Carts are available but with limited cart paths the ride is bumpy. Subsequent to the courses opening, holes 1 through 9 have been designated 10 through 18 and holes 10 through 18 are now 1 through 9. This change requires a player to back track to the 1st hole and has put three of the most challenging holes #11, #12, and #13 late in a round where they are difficult to recover from if poorly played.
Course / Slope Rating
Men: Ladies:
Tournament 74.0/139 Tournament 75.2/134
Championship 72.1/132 Championship 70.7/125
Member 69.7/127
Hole #1
Par 4
#15 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 326 Yards, Member = 353 Yards, Championship = 384 Yards, Tournament = 404 Yards
The hole is a slight dog leg right. There is a 20 - 30 foot drop from the tees to the fairway. From the tee trees on the left and right frame the fairway. The fairway is flat and generous in width. From the tee a small steam crosses the hole at 175 � 200+ yards. A bunker runs the length of the fairway on the right abutted by a pond. From 100 yards to the green there are a series of deep bunkers lining the left side of the fairway. The green slopes right to left and front to back. There is a bunker on right side of the green abutting the pond, both of which come into play when approaching the hole from the right side of the fairway.
P.B. Dye's drawing of the 1st.
The approach to the 1st.
Hole #2
Par 4
#5 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 326 Yards, Member = 353 Yards, Championship = 384 Yards, Tournament = 404 Yards
This hole is a long dogleg left. The tee is about 25 paces from the first green. The tee is slightly elevated. The fairway slopes left to right and narrows at the dog leg. A large bunker runs the length of the fairway on the left and the stand of trees on the right are a lateral hazard. From the fairway the green rises about ten feet. The green is set at an angle to the fairway, double tiered with the front tiered sloping back to front and the rear tear sloping front to back. There are large bunkers protecting the right side of the green and a collection area on the greens left backside.
P.B. Dye's drawing of the 2nd.
The approach to the 2nd green.
Hole #3
Par 3
#7 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 148 Yards, Member = 185 Yards, Championship = 210 Yards, Tournament = 237 Yards
Tee looks down on an elevated green. Pot bunkers flank both sides of the green. A large bunker flanks left side of green. The green slopes right to left and front to back at the front and right to left and back towards the rear.
Hole #4
Par 4
#1 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 374 Yards, Member = 397 Yards, Championship = 421 Yards, Tournament = 470 Yards
Slight dogleg right. Tee looks up to the fairway. Mounding defines the right side of the fairway and the fairway drops off on the left side. Bunkers run the full length of the green on the left and right side with water abutting the left bunker. The green is two tiered sloping right to left.
The undulations on the 4th green make an otherwise straightforward hole quite a challenge.
Hole # 5
# 9 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 420 Yards, Member = 462 Yards, Championship = 491 Yards, Tournament = 497 Yards
Slight dogleg left. Tee looks down on the fairway Large bunkers on both the left and right side of the fairway. There is a generous landing area at 100 - 150 yards. Green is flanked by large deep bunkers on the left and mounds on the right and back. The green almost equally slopes back to front and front to back with a ridge running diagonally through its mid point.
Hole #6
Par 4
#11 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 263 Yards, Member = 294 Yards, Championship = 325 Yards, Tournament = 353 Yards
Tee is even with an up sloping fairway. Water runs the full length of the hole on right. Bunkers run the length of the fairway at landing area on right. Green sits below fairway requiring a blind approach shot. The green is kidney shaped and slopes right to left and front to back. A pot bunker abuts the green at its right mid point and water abuts the green on the left. There is a pot bunker on the left side of the green abutting the pond. Both of which come into play when approaching the hole from the right side of the fairway.
P.B. Dye's drawing of the 6th.
Hole #7
Par 4
#13 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 260 Yards, Member = 346 Yards, Championship = 373 Yards, Tournament = 396 Yards
Abrupt dogleg left with the fairway unobservable from the tee. Bunkers run the full length of the fairway on the left. Trees define the fairway on the right. The green is narrow and runs perpendicular to the fairway and slopes left to right and front to back. The green is elevated with a generous false apron and drops off on the left. A bunker protects the right side of the green and hollows and mounds define the green�s backside.
The approach to the elevated 7th green complex.
P.B. Dye's drawing of the 7th green complex.
Hole #8
Par 3
#17 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 104 Yards, Member = 137 Yards, Championship = 161 Yards, Tournament = 189 Yards
Tee is even with the green. Tee shot to green is over water. Green is two tiered sloping left to right and front to back. Water runs the full length of the hole on the left. A shallow bunker abuts water on the left and runs around the left side of green. Deep bunkers flank the right side of green. Mounding defines the green�s back side.
P.B. Dye's drawing of the one shot 8th.
Hole #9
Par 5
#3 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 422 Yards, Member = 483 Yards, Championship = 532 Yards, Tournament = 559 Yards
Strong dogleg right. Tee looks down on the fairway. Water runs along the full length of the fasirway on the right. Fairway slopes at mid point right to left. At 140 yards and 100 yards from the green deep bunkers flank both sides of second shot landing area. Green is two tiered and slopes left to right and forward at the front and right to left and back at the rear. A pot bunker comes into play on the left front of the green. Deep bunkers abut the green on the left back and a collection area adjoins the green on the right.
P.B. Dye's drawing of the 9th and 18th green complexes.
Hole #10
Par 4
#18 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 279 Yards, Member = 306 Yards, Championship = 328 Yards, Tournament = 342 Yards
Tee shot requires a strait drive to a generous fairway. Out of bounds is on the left and a series of bunkers are on the right within driving distance. Green is abutted by water on the left and deep bunkers on the right. The green slopes right to left and is relatively flat from front to back.
Hole #11
Par 4
#14 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 284 Yards, Member = 341 Yards, Championship = 369 Yards, Tournament = 394 Yards
This hole begins three of the most decisive and controversial holes on the course. Tee is fronted by water and is even with up sloping fairway. Water and a bunker runs full length of diving area on the left. Bunkers on the right are with in driving distance. Green sits above and perpendicular to the fairway. The left side of the green slopes right to left and front to back. The right side slopes right to left and front and back to front. A deep bunker protects the greens right side. And a series of bunkers abut the green on the left.
Hole #12
Par 4
#2 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 328 Yards, Member = 364 Yards, Championship = 393 Yards, Tournament = 406 Yards
Hole is a quirky strong dogleg right over water. Tee is elevated above the fairway. Out of bounds is on the left and water dominates the right. Second shot is 120 to 175 yards over water to a green that moves away from the fairway. A series of pot bunkers abut the left side of the green, water abuts the entire right side and a collection area sits behind the green. The green slopes right to left and front to back with a ridge running through its middle section.
A perfect drive leaves this approach shot into the 12th green.
Hole #13
Par 3
#12 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 86 Yards, Member = 109 Yards, Championship = 121 Yards, Tournament = 133 Yards
Tee shot is over water to a tabletop green surrounded by water. Green is situated right to left and away from the tee. At the front it slopes left to right and forward and at the rear right to left and back. A small pot bunker that rarely comes into play abuts the green on the left.
The intimidating shot at the 13th.
Hole #14
Par 5
#10 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 423 Yards, Member = 488 Yards, Championship = 522 Yards, Tournament = 540 Yards
Gentle dogleg left. Tee looks down on the fairway. Water extends full length of fairway on left side. On right side of fairway a series of bunkers come into play on the tee shot. At 150 - 130 yards deep bunkers cross the fairway. A generous landing area exists from 130 yards to the green. The green is elevated with a false front. The putting surface is two tiered and slopes right to left and forward. A pot bunker guards the left edge of the green. Deep bunkers abut the green on the right and back left.
The view from the back markers on the 14th.
Hole #15
Par 3
#16 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 110 Yards, Member = 163 Yards, Championship = 188 Yards, Tournament = 211 Yards
Tee looks slightly up to an elevated green. Large bunkers flank the right side of green and a collection area abuts the right side. The green is two tiered and slopes at the front left to right and forward and left to right and toward the rear at the back.
Hole #16
Par 4
#8 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 372 Yards, Member = 433 Yards, Championship = 448 Yards, Tournament = 464 Yards
Long gentle dogleg right. Tee shot requires a 175 � 200 yard carry over light rough to a generous fairway. Large deep bunkers, which are not observable from the tee, define the right side of the landing area. Second shot is to a 'top hat' green raised above the fairway. Green is two tiered and slopes left to right and front to back. Rough surrounds the right and back of the green and a large collection area comes into play on the left.
Hole #17
Par 5
#4 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 467 Yards, Member = 505 Yards, Championship = 532 Yards, Tournament = 551 Yards
The story goes that P.B Dye did not have a complete conception of this hole until the end of the design / construction process and some feel 'it plays like that'. It requires a strait drive to a generous fairway. A large bunker on the left partially crosses the fairway and a series of bunkers on right define the right front of the fairway. On the second shot the green is blind from the fairway to a small green. At about 120 yards from the green the fairway abruptly turns right. The landing area at this yardage is the only location from where the green can be seen on the third shot. The green is two tiered and slopes left to right and back to front. The green is guarded on the left front by a series of pot bunkers. A strategically placed pot bunker is located on the right side of the green to catch blind shots from the right. A large deep bunker abuts the green on its left backside.
The approach to the 17th is potentially blind.
Hole #18
Par 4
#6 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 341 Yards, Member = 388 Yards, Championship = 429 Yards, Tournament = 462 Yards
Gentle dogleg left. Tee looks down on the fairway. Water runs along the fairway�s left side. Fairway slopes at mid point to the left. At 150 yards from the green a bunker crosses the fairway. The green is elevated and slopes right to left and forward at the front and right to left and back at the rear. Deep pot bunkers and a collection area abut the green on the left.
A view from the 18th tee.
In terms of design process Frank Lloyd Wright was an enigma by being aligned with the guilds and craftsman of the gothic period while being a force in modern architecture which was marked by the tenants of industrialization. In the same way the Dyes have had a similar impact on late 20th century golf course design and construction which has seen a rise in homogeneous corporate design teams in place of individual artisans. Under the guild system the art and craft of design and construction was passed on through experience from generation to generation rather than formally taught. Similarly the Dyes have been able to pass onto subsequent generations a process built on experience, knowledge and intuition in a way that formal education could not replicate. It is from this heritage that Hidden Glen at Bentdale farms has evolved. The organic nature of the course is such that every year of maturity brings with a richness and character that over time will continue to add to the memorable quality that was envisioned at that fortuitous dinner in 1998.
P.B. Dye�s and the courses owners� vision for the course followed four characteristics. 'First, each hole had to be memorable. Each hole needs to be distinct in the golfer�s mind that they can play the hole over and over in their head after teeing it up on the hole just once. Second, the course has to be fun. It has to be the kind of course that people enjoy playing, weather they are a scratch golfer or a 35 handicap. Third, it has to be playable. Some of the so-called greatest courses are among the most unplayable of the lot. And finally, the course must be so exciting, so fun to play that it inspires the golfer to play round after round.'
Designing and construction of the course was an organic process where relying on the implementation of well defined design and construction documents was abandoned in favor of one that emphasized the more creative and intuitive design and construction approach of orchestration. In a letter that P.B. wrote regarding the courses design he noted, 'Hidden Glen was not created on computer, but on the land itself. We used natural soils and natural land configurations to create a masterpiece. We took care to make each hole a true original.' In this vein there were a total of only 11 hand drawn sketches done for the courses design. These included a routing map drawn over a survey and 10 hole sketches done on 8 � x 11 legal pad paper. The remainder of the courses design was done in the field as the course was being built.
Instead of bidding out the project to a golf course contractor all aspects of the project were self performed by the owner. Construction crews consisting of heavy equipment operators, irrigation specialists, drainage specialists and general labors were hired directly by the owner and equipment such as bulldozers, backhoes, and earthmovers, were rented on a monthly basis. This approach provided the architect the required flexibility to work directly with the people building the course while giving the owners direct involvement in monitoring budgets and time.
Much of what gets built today is the product of well-crafted contracts and ridged design and construction documents. This might be due to modern societies punitive nature or western culture�s need for rationality. Regardless of its source, it has a tendency to promote a lack of richness and inventiveness in our built environment. The golf course at Hidden Glen at Bentdale Farms is an example of what can happen when experience, trust and imagination are the basis of entering into a venture rather than scripted creativity.
The Course
The clubs property is composed of 220 acres of which the golf course and practice areas occupy 180 acres. The course is a par 72 with four sets of tees: forward = 5278 yards, member = 6255 yards, championship = 6621 yards and tournament = 7017. The grasses used are Providence Bent for the greens, Putter Bent for the fairways and tees, Blue/Rye mixture for rough and Fine Fescue on outside berms. There are 23 acres of water features with three major lakes, four wetland lakes, two creaks with 11 holes where water comes into play.
P.B. Dye's routing for Hidden Glen at Bentdale Farms Golf Club.
The course was design so that the path for a player was from the parking lot to the clubhouse, from the clubhouse to the practice range then to the 1st hole. The course is designed as a walking course. Carts are available but with limited cart paths the ride is bumpy. Subsequent to the courses opening, holes 1 through 9 have been designated 10 through 18 and holes 10 through 18 are now 1 through 9. This change requires a player to back track to the 1st hole and has put three of the most challenging holes #11, #12, and #13 late in a round where they are difficult to recover from if poorly played.
Course / Slope Rating
Men: Ladies:
Tournament 74.0/139 Tournament 75.2/134
Championship 72.1/132 Championship 70.7/125
Member 69.7/127
Hole #1
Par 4
#15 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 326 Yards, Member = 353 Yards, Championship = 384 Yards, Tournament = 404 Yards
The hole is a slight dog leg right. There is a 20 - 30 foot drop from the tees to the fairway. From the tee trees on the left and right frame the fairway. The fairway is flat and generous in width. From the tee a small steam crosses the hole at 175 � 200+ yards. A bunker runs the length of the fairway on the right abutted by a pond. From 100 yards to the green there are a series of deep bunkers lining the left side of the fairway. The green slopes right to left and front to back. There is a bunker on right side of the green abutting the pond, both of which come into play when approaching the hole from the right side of the fairway.
P.B. Dye's drawing of the 1st.
The approach to the 1st.
Hole #2
Par 4
#5 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 326 Yards, Member = 353 Yards, Championship = 384 Yards, Tournament = 404 Yards
This hole is a long dogleg left. The tee is about 25 paces from the first green. The tee is slightly elevated. The fairway slopes left to right and narrows at the dog leg. A large bunker runs the length of the fairway on the left and the stand of trees on the right are a lateral hazard. From the fairway the green rises about ten feet. The green is set at an angle to the fairway, double tiered with the front tiered sloping back to front and the rear tear sloping front to back. There are large bunkers protecting the right side of the green and a collection area on the greens left backside.
P.B. Dye's drawing of the 2nd.
The approach to the 2nd green.
Hole #3
Par 3
#7 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 148 Yards, Member = 185 Yards, Championship = 210 Yards, Tournament = 237 Yards
Tee looks down on an elevated green. Pot bunkers flank both sides of the green. A large bunker flanks left side of green. The green slopes right to left and front to back at the front and right to left and back towards the rear.
Hole #4
Par 4
#1 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 374 Yards, Member = 397 Yards, Championship = 421 Yards, Tournament = 470 Yards
Slight dogleg right. Tee looks up to the fairway. Mounding defines the right side of the fairway and the fairway drops off on the left side. Bunkers run the full length of the green on the left and right side with water abutting the left bunker. The green is two tiered sloping right to left.
The undulations on the 4th green make an otherwise straightforward hole quite a challenge.
Hole # 5
# 9 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 420 Yards, Member = 462 Yards, Championship = 491 Yards, Tournament = 497 Yards
Slight dogleg left. Tee looks down on the fairway Large bunkers on both the left and right side of the fairway. There is a generous landing area at 100 - 150 yards. Green is flanked by large deep bunkers on the left and mounds on the right and back. The green almost equally slopes back to front and front to back with a ridge running diagonally through its mid point.
Hole #6
Par 4
#11 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 263 Yards, Member = 294 Yards, Championship = 325 Yards, Tournament = 353 Yards
Tee is even with an up sloping fairway. Water runs the full length of the hole on right. Bunkers run the length of the fairway at landing area on right. Green sits below fairway requiring a blind approach shot. The green is kidney shaped and slopes right to left and front to back. A pot bunker abuts the green at its right mid point and water abuts the green on the left. There is a pot bunker on the left side of the green abutting the pond. Both of which come into play when approaching the hole from the right side of the fairway.
P.B. Dye's drawing of the 6th.
Hole #7
Par 4
#13 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 260 Yards, Member = 346 Yards, Championship = 373 Yards, Tournament = 396 Yards
Abrupt dogleg left with the fairway unobservable from the tee. Bunkers run the full length of the fairway on the left. Trees define the fairway on the right. The green is narrow and runs perpendicular to the fairway and slopes left to right and front to back. The green is elevated with a generous false apron and drops off on the left. A bunker protects the right side of the green and hollows and mounds define the green�s backside.
The approach to the elevated 7th green complex.
P.B. Dye's drawing of the 7th green complex.
Hole #8
Par 3
#17 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 104 Yards, Member = 137 Yards, Championship = 161 Yards, Tournament = 189 Yards
Tee is even with the green. Tee shot to green is over water. Green is two tiered sloping left to right and front to back. Water runs the full length of the hole on the left. A shallow bunker abuts water on the left and runs around the left side of green. Deep bunkers flank the right side of green. Mounding defines the green�s back side.
P.B. Dye's drawing of the one shot 8th.
Hole #9
Par 5
#3 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 422 Yards, Member = 483 Yards, Championship = 532 Yards, Tournament = 559 Yards
Strong dogleg right. Tee looks down on the fairway. Water runs along the full length of the fasirway on the right. Fairway slopes at mid point right to left. At 140 yards and 100 yards from the green deep bunkers flank both sides of second shot landing area. Green is two tiered and slopes left to right and forward at the front and right to left and back at the rear. A pot bunker comes into play on the left front of the green. Deep bunkers abut the green on the left back and a collection area adjoins the green on the right.
P.B. Dye's drawing of the 9th and 18th green complexes.
Hole #10
Par 4
#18 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 279 Yards, Member = 306 Yards, Championship = 328 Yards, Tournament = 342 Yards
Tee shot requires a strait drive to a generous fairway. Out of bounds is on the left and a series of bunkers are on the right within driving distance. Green is abutted by water on the left and deep bunkers on the right. The green slopes right to left and is relatively flat from front to back.
Hole #11
Par 4
#14 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 284 Yards, Member = 341 Yards, Championship = 369 Yards, Tournament = 394 Yards
This hole begins three of the most decisive and controversial holes on the course. Tee is fronted by water and is even with up sloping fairway. Water and a bunker runs full length of diving area on the left. Bunkers on the right are with in driving distance. Green sits above and perpendicular to the fairway. The left side of the green slopes right to left and front to back. The right side slopes right to left and front and back to front. A deep bunker protects the greens right side. And a series of bunkers abut the green on the left.
Hole #12
Par 4
#2 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 328 Yards, Member = 364 Yards, Championship = 393 Yards, Tournament = 406 Yards
Hole is a quirky strong dogleg right over water. Tee is elevated above the fairway. Out of bounds is on the left and water dominates the right. Second shot is 120 to 175 yards over water to a green that moves away from the fairway. A series of pot bunkers abut the left side of the green, water abuts the entire right side and a collection area sits behind the green. The green slopes right to left and front to back with a ridge running through its middle section.
A perfect drive leaves this approach shot into the 12th green.
Hole #13
Par 3
#12 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 86 Yards, Member = 109 Yards, Championship = 121 Yards, Tournament = 133 Yards
Tee shot is over water to a tabletop green surrounded by water. Green is situated right to left and away from the tee. At the front it slopes left to right and forward and at the rear right to left and back. A small pot bunker that rarely comes into play abuts the green on the left.
The intimidating shot at the 13th.
Hole #14
Par 5
#10 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 423 Yards, Member = 488 Yards, Championship = 522 Yards, Tournament = 540 Yards
Gentle dogleg left. Tee looks down on the fairway. Water extends full length of fairway on left side. On right side of fairway a series of bunkers come into play on the tee shot. At 150 - 130 yards deep bunkers cross the fairway. A generous landing area exists from 130 yards to the green. The green is elevated with a false front. The putting surface is two tiered and slopes right to left and forward. A pot bunker guards the left edge of the green. Deep bunkers abut the green on the right and back left.
The view from the back markers on the 14th.
Hole #15
Par 3
#16 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 110 Yards, Member = 163 Yards, Championship = 188 Yards, Tournament = 211 Yards
Tee looks slightly up to an elevated green. Large bunkers flank the right side of green and a collection area abuts the right side. The green is two tiered and slopes at the front left to right and forward and left to right and toward the rear at the back.
Hole #16
Par 4
#8 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 372 Yards, Member = 433 Yards, Championship = 448 Yards, Tournament = 464 Yards
Long gentle dogleg right. Tee shot requires a 175 � 200 yard carry over light rough to a generous fairway. Large deep bunkers, which are not observable from the tee, define the right side of the landing area. Second shot is to a 'top hat' green raised above the fairway. Green is two tiered and slopes left to right and front to back. Rough surrounds the right and back of the green and a large collection area comes into play on the left.
Hole #17
Par 5
#4 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 467 Yards, Member = 505 Yards, Championship = 532 Yards, Tournament = 551 Yards
The story goes that P.B Dye did not have a complete conception of this hole until the end of the design / construction process and some feel 'it plays like that'. It requires a strait drive to a generous fairway. A large bunker on the left partially crosses the fairway and a series of bunkers on right define the right front of the fairway. On the second shot the green is blind from the fairway to a small green. At about 120 yards from the green the fairway abruptly turns right. The landing area at this yardage is the only location from where the green can be seen on the third shot. The green is two tiered and slopes left to right and back to front. The green is guarded on the left front by a series of pot bunkers. A strategically placed pot bunker is located on the right side of the green to catch blind shots from the right. A large deep bunker abuts the green on its left backside.
The approach to the 17th is potentially blind.
Hole #18
Par 4
#6 Handicap
Tees: Forward = 341 Yards, Member = 388 Yards, Championship = 429 Yards, Tournament = 462 Yards
Gentle dogleg left. Tee looks down on the fairway. Water runs along the fairway�s left side. Fairway slopes at mid point to the left. At 150 yards from the green a bunker crosses the fairway. The green is elevated and slopes right to left and forward at the front and right to left and back at the rear. Deep pot bunkers and a collection area abut the green on the left.
A view from the 18th tee.
In terms of design process Frank Lloyd Wright was an enigma by being aligned with the guilds and craftsman of the gothic period while being a force in modern architecture which was marked by the tenants of industrialization. In the same way the Dyes have had a similar impact on late 20th century golf course design and construction which has seen a rise in homogeneous corporate design teams in place of individual artisans. Under the guild system the art and craft of design and construction was passed on through experience from generation to generation rather than formally taught. Similarly the Dyes have been able to pass onto subsequent generations a process built on experience, knowledge and intuition in a way that formal education could not replicate. It is from this heritage that Hidden Glen at Bentdale farms has evolved. The organic nature of the course is such that every year of maturity brings with a richness and character that over time will continue to add to the memorable quality that was envisioned at that fortuitous dinner in 1998.
Whistling Straits Makes Golf Magazine's Top 100 Courses
Whistling Straits, WI, USA
6th hole, 355 yards; The holes directly along Lake Michigan (2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 12, 13, 16, 17) enjoy glamorous qualities but like Pebble Beach, the quality of the course is held high by the standard of its inland holes. Often overlooked, the 6th is a very fine short/medium two shotter with the golfer needing to avoid the line of charm off the tee with the flag flapping in the breeze well to the right of the best line for his tee ball.
The 6th green is at the right edge of the photograph but the line off the tee is often just to the right
of the bunker in the fairway at the left of the photograph.
This little pit at the right front of the 6th green seems a just enough punishment for a hole of modest length.
7th hole, 200 yards; The 7th consists of a tee, a green some two hundred yards away with the shoreline, the Lake and deep bunkers in between. This is man vs. nature stuff on an exhilarating stage and Lake Michigan is not just a back drop - it is distinctly in play. The Lake is not staked as a hazard or out of bounds and the golfer is free to play his second shot off the sandy shore.
The spectacular 7th headlines one of the most dramatic sets of one shot holes in golf.
8th hole, 450 yards; As opposed to the 4th, Lake Michigan is on the right this time, thus not favoring one style shot or player over another. The green is angled such as to give the appearance of jutting into Lake Michigan and seeing an approach release to the back hole locations is a shot of immense satisfaction.
The approach to the 8th. With nothing behind the green, the flagstick is silhoutted against
Lake Michigan, a clever ploy for a course where almost all holes run parallel to the Lake.
10th hole, 360 yards; A favorite hole for how it plays, the tee shot is across a deep valley to a humungously wide fairway. Well over thirty (!?) bunkers are in view but one in particular grabs the golfers attention: a small gathering pit dug just where a tee ball likes to land. The strategy revolves around this single bunker and the wind conditions for the day. Now suppose the 10th hole only featured this single dominate bunker. When coupled with the angled green, it still controls the entire holes play even if the other thirty some bunkers in view are removed. Would this less is more design philosophy perhaps make Whistling Straits appear even more natural? The author thinks so and worse case, the course visually would look less busy (i.e. cluttered) and how can that be bad?
The perfectly placed fairway bunker is in right middle of the photograph. Evident in this photo is the
expansive feel of Whistling Straits, which is one of its great attributes.
11th hole, 550 yards; A gambling three shotter that can be tackled one of several ways depending on the conditions. The typical option on the second shot is to lay-up short or to the side of a massive banked bunker that is forty yards short of the green. From there, it is a semi-blind wedge shot up to the wild green. The other option under the right conditions is to take the bunker on with the second shot. If the ball carries the bunker, but fails to make or hold the green, the gambling golfer still has a relatively straightforward up and down for a birdie. The golfer who skirts the bunker must come into the green from a less advantageous angle.
The pit on the 11th dominates the second shot.
15th hole, 450 yards; From well above the fairway, Dye angled the hole at a 45 degree angle toward Lake Michigan. Thus, apart from making a visually stimulating hole, the benefit from the architect's point of view is that the wind hits the golfer from a different angle than any other hole. This is the only two shotter on the course to have the Lake as a backdrop for both shots.
The 15th plays toward the Lake, providing a different wind angle.
17th hole, 215 yards; Visually intimidating, this one is set in the opposite direction to the 7th with the Lake and the deep bunkers on the golfer's left. A bit of a pull from a tired or anxious swing will leave a recovery shot fifteen to twenty feet beneath the surface of the green. Rather than being mesmerized by the gumpf on the left, the golfer should prudently take what the architect has offered: a helping right to left slope at the right front of the green that propels the ball well into the green's center.
One of the game's most dramatic penultimate holes.
At Whistling Straits, Dye took a number of chances and many of them paid off handsomely. In terms of holes, the two exceptions are the double dogleg 5th around two water features and the 18th hole, which is horribly contrived with a poor tee shot and an even worse approach. Despite these two holes, the golfer still senses that he has just completed a round on one of golf's most impressively engineered courses as no one can deny the quality of the golf that Dye created from scratch.
Starting in earnest in the 1960s, architects gained ready access to heavy earth moving equipment. Interestingly (and tellingly) enough, course design simultaneously suffered as architects were unsure how best to use their new toys. Pete Dye at Whistling Straits represents one of man's boldest and most comprehensive uses of such heavy equipment in simulating nature and her contours. Make no mistake - man will never capture the subtleties and nuances found in nature but as none previously existed here, Dye's effort is an heroic attempt and one every architecture student should see.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Barnett-Howe is first to repeat as PGA Women's Stroke Play champ
Carolyn Barnett-Howe of Appleton, Wis., became the first player to score two victories in the nine-year history of the TaylorMade-adidas Golf PGA Women's Stroke Play Championship.
Howe, 45, a PGA head professional at Irish Waters Golf Club in Freedom, Wis., fired a closing round of 1-over-par 73 to win by three strokes, Jan. 30, on the Wanamaker Course at The PGA Golf Club. Howe earned $1,750 from an $8,000 purse.
At 218, Howe outdistanced Shannon Hanley of Steamboat Springs, Colo., who closed with 74-221 to finish second among 25 entries. A PGA teaching professional at Steamboat Golf Club, Hanley earned $1,350 for her second straight runner-up finish.
Each made two birdies on the front nine, and then Howe bogeyed the ninth hole to cut her lead to one. But Hanley drove into a bunker at the 14th hole enroute to a double bogey. Then both Howe and Hanley bogeyed the last two holes. Howe also won the 2006 Women's Stroke Play with a 221 at the nearby PGA Country Club.
"I was thinking about it, that no one had ever repeated in this tournament," said Howe. "I wanted to be the first to do it.
"Shannon really played great, keeping the pressure on me until the 14th hole. I made a 20 footer to save par at the 10th hole to keep the lead, then missed an eight-footer for birdie at the 14th. But overall, I played pretty steady."
Howe, the leader after the first and second rounds, also won the Wisconsin Women's Open the last three years and four times overall. She also had several top-5 finishes in the Michigan and Illinois Women's Opens.
TaylorMade-adidas Golf PGA Women's Stroke Play Championship
The PGA Golf Club, Port St. Lucie, Fla., Wanamaker Course (par-72, 6,003 yards)
The PGA Golf Club, Port St. Lucie, Fla., Wanamaker Course (par-72, 6,003 yards)
| Player, Hometown | Money | Score |
| Carolyn Barnett-Howe, Appleton, Wis. | $1,750 | 72-73-73--218 |
| Shannon Hanley, Steamboat Springs, Colo. | $1,350 | 74-73-74--221 |
| Sarah Johnson, Spearfish, S.D. | $1,000 | 73-73-76--222 |
| Cindy Reeves, Bedford, N.Y. | $800 | 75-75-73--223 |
| Marjorie Jones, Orlando, Fla. | $650 | 77-75-73--225 |
| Julie Peluso, Port St. Lucie, Fla. | $650 | 76-73-76--225 |
| Jennifer Webster, Port St. Lucie, Fla. | $525 | 82-74-70--226 |
| Wendy Modic, Chappaqua, N.Y. | $450 | 77-75-77--229 |
| Kammy Maxfeldt, Westport, Conn. | $425 | 81-74-76--231 |
| Christine Newton, Whitefish, Mont. | $200 | 78-77-79--234 |
| Nodja Cook, Johnson City, Tenn. | $200 | 74-80-80--234 |
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)