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.

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)

Team Scores
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, Wisconsin doesn't immediately spring to mind when you think of major golf destinations. But with four championship golf courses - including famed Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run - and world-class hotel facilities, this former industrial town is firmly on the golf map.

KOHLER, Wis. - A mysterious, bearded man greets those passing into Kohler, Wisconsin: a historic, industrial village home to the Kohler bathroom fixture empire that has turned into a Midwest golf mecca, home to some of the world's biggest tournaments.

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 North America. It's located two miles from the lake-side town of Sheboygan and an hour north of Milwaukee, but there's enough to do in Kohler - golf aside - that you won't miss any of the big city hubbub.

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 Midwest for an upscale golf getaway.

Kohler Golf Courses: Whistling Straits

About a fifteen minute drive from Kohler, the Whistling Straits facility is home to the now PGA Tour-famous Straits course and a lesser-known but fantastic Irish course, which is more than a meager "solid second."

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 Ireland. To do this, truckloads of dirt were imported - enough to fill a football field five stories high - and massive, rugged dunes were created as well as thousands of bunkers, often placed in front and even behind tee boxes with seemingly little reason to them.

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 Michigan, is expansive enough to pass as any sea in Ireland or ocean view in Monterrey.

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 Meadow Valleys is the least revered course in Kohler and considered the easiest of the bunch, but it's tough to call any Dye course a pushover.

Unlike the River course, the Meadow Valleys course plays mostly on higher, wide open terrain. Many greens are perched over hills and ravines with sharp drop-offs. The par-3 17th requires a shot over or around a large maple tree in front of the green. The 18th might be the prettiest hole in all of Kohler, playing along the river and finally over it and a colorful flower bed to a green sitting below the clubhouse - far more memorable than the River's finisher.

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 America's best retreats and features a variety of signature treatments and several relaxation rooms. Both courses at Whistling Straits are walking-only - all the more reason to look into an afternoon here getting a signature "golfer's massage" or just relax in the spa.

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