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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

7^th 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.

8^th 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.

10^th 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.

11^th 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.

15^th 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.

17^th hole, 215 yards; Visually intimidating, this one is set in the opposite direction to the 7^th 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.

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)

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