Chicagoland Golf News

CHICAGO, Ill. — The PGA of America has announced it will sponsor the 88th PGA Championship Youth Skills Challenge to culminate in a final showdown the week of this year's PGA Championship at Medinah Country Club.

The competition, to be conductedy the Illinois Section of the PGA, will showcase the driving, chipping, and putting skills of up-and-coming young golfers ages 6 to 17 and spotlight some of the local PGA teaching professionals who helped them learn the game. As presenting sponsor, Nike Golf will provide prizes and other forms of event support, officials said.

Officials said everyone who participates in the Youth Skills Challenge will receive two practice round tickets to the 88th PGA Championship at Medinah, which runs from Aug. 14-20.

The Beverly Country Club To Host 2008 USGA Senior Amateur

Far Hills, N.J. - The Beverly Country Club in Chicago, Ill., has been selected by the United States Golf Association as the site of the 2008 USGA Senior Amateur Championship. The dates of the championship are September 20-25.

The Beverly Country Club will be hosting its second USGA championship. Previously, the club hosted the 1931 U.S. Amateur, which was won by Francis Ouimet for his third USGA title. Beverly was founded in 1908 and features tree-lined fairways, difficult greens and the bunkering characteristics of its architect, Donald Ross. Recently, Ron Prichard, a Ross renovation expert, completed a major revision.

How do you compete with the “Big Boys” of the golf equipment industry, who have many years head start in marketing and manufacturing, not to mention deep, deep pockets to fund their ventures? Two veterans of the front lines of the golf industry wars, Richard Merk and Bret Larsen are trying to do it in a revolutionary way, one club at a time, one charity tournament at a time with their launch of Upswing Golf early this year.

Merk, a former member of the senior executive teams at TaylorMade and then Callaway, and Larsen, a former VP of Manufacturing and then Golf Club Development at Callaway, have come together to try to bring the “average” golfer access to top quality equipment without the expense the “brand name” companies tack on to their clubs for marketing, advertising and endorsements.

Our playing editors were vacationing down in Florida, in late July, and thought it would be a great idea to review some courses for our readers up north. Our first stop was Shalimar Pointe Country Club in Shalimar, Florida.

Shalimar Pointe is 15 min. from Ft. Walton Beach, 30 min. from Destin, 50 min. from Pensacola and 50 min. from Panama City. Built in 1968, Shalimar Pointe was designed by Pete Dye & Joe Finger, and is the only Pete Dye designed course in the area. Shalimar Pointe stretches 6,765 yards from the tips, but has 5 sets of tees to accommodate golfers of all skill levels. This semi-private country club offers a championship layout, but doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg like some neighboring high-end resorts do.

Nestled on 2,400 acres of spectacular beach and bayfront, eight miles east of Destin, this coastal community features 1,350 accommodations situated within 30 distinctive neighborhoods providing a diverse range of options for your vacation or business stay.

Indulge in endless resort amenities from four championship golf courses – making it one of the top Florida golf resorts, 15 world-class tennis courts, full-service marina, water sports, charter sailing and fishing, boutique, designer and outlet shopping, fine and casual dining, state-of-the-art fitness center, professional salon and day spa and fun children's programs. Over 7 miles of beach and bayfront, make it the choice for those desiring the best of Florida beach resorts. Enjoy every imaginable convenience from resort-wide transportation and 24-hour guest services to a host of complimentary amenities free to you each day of your stay.

Congratulations to Jim McKnight of Hinsdale, IL on winning our Fantasy Golf Giveaway in Illinois which included a FREE round of golf at 29 different courses.

The Northern Illinois Junior Golf Tour is an organization that offers juniors an opportunity to learn to play golf in a competitive atmosphere while developing their game for high school and college. Before a player becomes a member they must attend rules seminar that is held before each season. While learning to play competitively, the NIJGT stresses friendliness and hopes that these competitors may turn into new friends.

We hold 14-18 events during the summer months. There is a senior division of 17-18 year olds and a junior division of 16 and under with a boys and girls section for each division. At each event the first three places in each division will receive a trophy, all members also will receive points depending on where they finished, which will determine the Player of the Year in each division. We also try to give each player something at most every event from a sleeve of balls, range use or lunch.

Nike Golf’s new Ignite Driver hasn’t even hit the streets yet and it’s already the hottest new club on the market. Still three weeks before it debuts in golf shops and specialty stores across the country, the first retail allocations have already bee maxed out and sell through is expected to take less than two weeks in most regions across the country once available to the general public.Mike Kelly, Nike Golf’s Club Category business director, said the pre-sale frenzy surrounding Nike’s latest driver can be attributed to many factors, though none bigger than the success of its most notable professional – Tiger Woods.

Popular PGA Tour Event Returns for 101st Edition.

Still basking in the afterglow of the memorable 2003 U.S. Open played at Olympia Fields, the Chicagoland area will again welcome the best golfers in the world for the 2004 Cialis Western open this July.

The oldest and one of the most respected tournaments on the PGA TOUR, the Western Open returns to the popular Cog Hill Golf and Country Club from June 28 to July 4. Defending champion Tiger Woods will likely headline a field that is annually among the finest on the PGA TOUR.

Jordan and the Bulls. Ditka and da Bears. Bartman and the Cubs. These are the enduring images of the Windy City.

To be sure, Chicago has always been closely tied to, and even defined by its sports figures and teams. Cut through the agony and disappointment and you find a region proud of its sports history and ferocious in its support for its sports franchises.

It’s the same sort of pride and enthusiasm Chicagoland golfers take in the impressive collection of golf courses that grace this Midwest region. Home each year to the PGA TOUR’s Western Open, Chicago last year played host to the U.S. Open, providing golfers around the world just a glimpse into the wonderful golf opportunities that exist in Chicagoland – opportunities that go far beyond the famous Olympia Fields and Cog Hill.