Chicagoland Golf News

CARMEL, Ind. – The 2009 U.S. Senior Open and the United States Golf Association Grants and Fellowship Department, will honor the contingent of military in Indiana and around the country by hosting Military Family Days during Championship Week Practice Rounds Monday, July 27 – Wednesday, July 29 at Crooked Stick Golf Club. 

All military personnel, both active and retired and with proper identification, will receive free admission during Practice Rounds along with a 20 percent discount coupon valid in the merchandise tent for themselves and their families. 

Whether it’s a flashy diamond-studded belt buckle, a bright orange camouflage hat or a pair of loud pants, today’s image-conscious golfers have fallen in love with products that allow them to express both their personality and individuality on the golf course.

If you’re looking to add a new colorful component to your golf bag, look no further than Shaft Skinz - decorative wafer-thin plastic sleeves for your shafts that have the added benefit of protecting the surface from the day-to-day knocks and scrapes that they take. 

At a time when many of the nation's recession-weary country clubs are cutting back, Medinah Country Club is stepping up with a view toward the 2012 Ryder Cup.

By a margin of more than 4-1, Medinah's membership voted Saturday (June 13) to spend upwards of $3 million on a multi-faceted renovation that would see the club's famed No. 3 Course close August 15 and re-open next June.

The dates and information about the seven, major amateur golf tournaments this summer at the six Chicago Park District (CPD) golf courses have been announced.

New for 2009 is the Women's City Amateur, contested by up to 100 golfers vying for this first-ever title. 

GOLF, Ill. – John Kaczkowski will be the Western Golf Association’s next president and chief executive officer.

The WGA’s Board of Governors recently voted to name Kaczkowski as the successor to Don Johnson, the association’s president and CEO the past 21 years. Kaczkowski will become only the third person since 1960 to head the management of the joint operations of the WGA and the Evans Scholars Foundation.

Currently the WGA’s vice president of tournaments, Kaczkowski joined the WGA in 1998 and became tournament director in 2000.

LEMONT - Chicagoland golfers are anxiously awaiting the unveiling of one of America's best public golf courses, as Cog Hill's award-winning Dubsdread Course prepares to reopen this month.

The golf course, which was closed for the entire 2008 season to allow for a $5 million dollar renovation project, is scheduled to open May 15.

Naperville Country Club, a private club approaching 90 years old was recently awarded the Golf Inc. Renovation of the Year in the private course category at a ceremony at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida.

The family oriented golf and social club in the Chicago suburbs was renovated by world-renowned architect Steve Forrest of Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest & Associates. The $7 million dollar project was launched to fix problems such as a sub-standard driving range facility, a poorly situated maintenance area and a course that had ceased to be enjoyable for all members and guests.

SUGAR GROVE, Ill., – U.S. Captain Beth Daniel and European Captain Alison Nicholas have agreed to play fourball in the morning and foursomes in the afternoon on the first two days of the 2009 Solheim Cup competition, which will be contested at Rich Harvest Farms outside Chicago.

This move effectively changes the schedule from previous years when foursomes led off the day followed by fourball in the afternoon.

Industry leaders Frank Jemsek and Steve Lesnik will join former PGA Tour member Chip Beck and golf course superintendent Carl Hopphan as the newest inductees into the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame.

The foursome will be honored at a ceremony celebrating their achievements in October at the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame exhibit located at the Glen Club in Glenview, Ill.

Two of golf's most powerful organizations are coming together for the common good of the game.

The United States Golf Association and The PGA of America announced a partnership for a Junior Golf Program in 2009 that focuses on expanding the number of junior golfers while fostering life-long participation in the game.