Michigan Golf 2009 - Golf Association of Michigan

Transcription

$2.95 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009 WWW.GAM.ORG
The Big Picture:
Michigan
Golf 2009
the good, the bad, and the ugly
Plus:
Understanding the
Handicap Committee
The Buick Open’s
Lasting Legacy
Tournament Highlights
00_COVER_FINAL_Garland.indd 1
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Golfers at over 175 golf clubs and
courses have helped Rally spread
awareness about breast cancer in Michigan.
have you?
Alpena Golf Course
Ann Arbor Country Club
Ann Arbor Golf & Outing Club
Bay Harbor Golf Club
Beacon Hill Golf Club
Bear Lake County Highlands
Golf Course
Bloomfield Hills Country Club
Blossom Trails Golf Club
Blythefield Country Club
Boulder Lakes Golf Club
Boyne Mountain Resort
Briar Hill Golf Course
Brookside Golf Course
Brookwood Golf Course
Burning Tree Golf & Country Club
Canadian Lakes Country Club
Candlestone Inn
Cascade Golf Course
Centennial Country Club
Champion Hill Golf Club
Charlevoix Golf & Country Club
Chestnut Hills Golf Course
Clor’s Outposts
Copper Ridge Golf Club
Country Club of Detroit
Crestview Golf Course
Crown Golf Course
Crystal Downs Country Club
Dearborn Country Club
Deer Run Golf Club
Detroit Golf Club
Drummond Island Golf Club
Eagle Crest Golf Course
Eastern Hills Golf Club
Elk Rapids Golf Club
Elmbrook Golf Course
Emerald Vale Golf Club
Fairview Hills Golf Course
Farmington Hills Golf Club
Faulkwood Shores Golf Course
Fenton Farms Golf Club
Fox Run Country Club
Franklin Hills Country Club
Garland Golf Resort
Gaylord Country Club
Golden Sands Golf Course
Goodrich Country Club
Gowanie Golf Club
Grayling Country Club
Great Oaks Country Club
Green Briar Golf Course
Green Oaks Golf Course
Green Valley Golf Club
Greenbush Golf Course
Hankerd Hills Golf Course
Hartland Glen Golf Course
Hiawatha Sportsman’s Club
Hidden Valley Golf Club
Highland Hills Golf Club
Highland Hills Golf Course
Hillsdale Golf & Country Club
Hilltop Golf Course
Hudson Mills Metropark
Huntersridge Golf Course
Huron Breeze Golf Club
Huron Shores Golf Club
Huron Valley Women’s Golf Club
Indian Lake Golf & Country Club
Indianwood Golf & Country Club
Iron River Country Club
L’Anse Golf Club
Lake Forest Golf Club
Lakelands Golf & Country Club
Lakeview Hills Country Club
Lakewood Shores Resort
Lincoln Golf Course
Lochmoor Country Club
Lost lake Woods Club
Manistee National Golf & Resort
Maple Grove Golf Course
Maple Hill Golf Club
Maple Ridge Golf Club
Maples of Novi Country Club
Marquette Golf & Country Club
Marysville Golf Course
Marywood Golf Club
Meadowbrook Country Club
Midland Country Club
Missaukee Golf Course
Morrison Lake Country Club
Mulberry Fore Golf Course
Munoscong Golf Club
Mystic Creek Golf Club
New Hawthorne Valley Golf Course
Newberry Country Club
Northport Point Golf Club
Northville Hills Golf Club
Oak Lane Golf Course
Oak Pointe Country Club
Oak Ridge Golf Club
Oakhurst Golf & Country Club
Oakland Hills Country Club
Oakland University Golf &
Learning Center
Old Channel Trail Golf Course
Orchard Lake Country Club
Overbrook Golf Course
Paint Creek Country Club
Pebblewood Country Club
Pictured Rocks Golf &
Country Club
Pine View Golf Club
Pine View Highlands Golf Course
Plum Hollow Country Club
Pointe Aux Barques Golf Course
Pontiac Municipal Golf Course
Port Huron Golf Club
Preserve Golf Club
Quincy Golf Course
Railside Golf Club
Rammler Golf Club
Ravines Golf Club
Red Fox Run Golf Club
Reddeman Farms Golf Course
River’s Edge Golf Course
Rustic Glen Golf Club
Saginaw Country Club
Sand Wedge Golf Course
Sault St. Marie Country Club
Scenic Golf & Country Club
Shanty Creek Golf Course
Shenandoah Country Club
Silver Lake Country Club
Somerset Golf Club
Southgate Municipal Golf Course
Spring Lake Country Club
Spring Meadows Country Club
Springport Hills Golf Course
States Golf Course
StoneWater Country Club
Stoney Links
Sugar Springs Country Club
Sugarloaf Golf Course
Tanglewood Golf Club
The Dream
The Fortress
The Heathers Club
The Highlands Golf Club
The Leelanau Club at Bahles Farms
The Lynx of Allegan
The Prairies
The Quest at Houghton Lake
The Wyndgate Golf & Country Club
Thunder Bay Golf Resort
Tomac Woods Golf Course
Travis Pointe Country Club
Twin Lakes Golf & Swim Club
Ubly Heights Golf Course
Vassar Golf & Country Club
Verona Hills Golf Club
Village Green Golf Club
Walloon Lake Country Club
Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club
Water’s Edge Country Club
Wawonowin Country Club
White Lake Oaks Golf Course
White Pine National Golf Club
Willow Springs Golf & Country Club
Wolf Creek Golf Club
Ye Nyne Olde Holles Golf Club
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vol. 11 no. four
Special Report
michigan golf 2009:
the good, the bad,
and the ugly
13
the big picture
Contents
Private clubs struggle to retain
members, resorts fight for
a share of tourism dollars, and rumors
(mostly false) fly about bankruptcies and
closings. So was all gloom and doom in
Michigan? It depends on where you look
and whom you talk to.
Michigan Links provides a special regional
roundup to find out how a cross-section
of golf facilities are working to weather
the economic storm.
14 weather and the economy’s
one-two punch hit up north
The Michigan economy is leading clubs such as Thunder Bay Resort (above) to rely on
non-golf revenue. Meanwhile, Garland Resort (on the cover) has new ownership.
15 “pure michigan” is a ray of
Departments
17 necessity drives invention
Features
9 Season Highlights The GAM adds
Forecaddie GAM/Detroit News
Hole-in-One Contest participants donate
more net events for “the rest of us,” plus
$4,000 to Folds of Honor Foundation, all
the 2009 GAM season champions and
you need to know about the Handicap
Players of the Year.
Committee, new “Exclusive Tee Times”
24 Buick Open’s Lasting Legacy
benefit gives GAM members access to
For more than 50 years, the Buick Open
private clubs, easy online renewal for
was a PGA Tour mainstay. Here are
2010, and more.
eight great moments and personalities.
7 Tee Party GAM Member Relations
Day at Western G&CC.
3
sunshine
in metropolitan detroit
18 half empty ... and half full
in west michigan
20 new approaches to survival
in michigan’s midsection
22 weather takes edge off
upper peninsula’s growing
reputation
above photo courtesy of thunder bay resort.
bottom photo courtesy of gowanie golf club.
Gowanie Golf Club’s “Stag Day, 1949.” The club celebrates its 100th anniversary next year.
26
Rules & Etiquette What do you do
when a cart path interferes with your
stance, swing, or lie? The “immovable
obstruction” rule has the answers.
28
Links to the Past Gowanie Golf
Club celebrates its 100th anniversary
next year. The Mount Clemens-area
“hidden jewel” was originally known
as Riverview GC, and its rich history
includes being one of the GAM’s
original 14 member clubs.
On the Cover:
Garland Resort’s Monarch course
Photo by Joann Dost
01_TOC.indd 1
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official publication of the
golf association of michigan
Golf Association of Michigan
24116 Research Drive | Farmington Hills, MI 48335
Phone: 248-478-9242 Fax: 248-478-5536 | www.gam.org
editor & publisher Tonia J. Branch
Officers
president William F. Wright
vice president J. Lee Juett
vice president Rondal Gaines
vice president John Schulte
treasurer Lloyd A. Schwartz
secretary Richard Topp
assistant secretary James R. Kohl
General Counsel
Harrison C. Stackpole,
Ogne, Alberts & Stuart, P.C.
Presidents Emeritus
Dr. Walter Albers
Fritz Balmer
Donald J. Barrett
Paul F. Beaupre
Thomas W. Chisholm
Victor S. Cuiss
David C. Devendorf
Jere B. Gillette
Neil J. MacPhee
Robert L. McMasters
Thomas M. Murphy
Jeanne Myers
John F. O’Donovan
Dr. Richard A. Papp
William A. Prew
David F. Rentschler
Lewis A. Rockwell
John D. Standish
James H. Stevens
Wallace G. Wheeler
Staff
executive director
David Graham
assistant executive director
Tonia Branch
manager of member
services & communications
michiganlinks@gam.org
associate publisher Edward J. Peabody
epeabody@hour-media.com
managing editor Steve Wilke
swilke@hour-media.com
art director Jennifer Arnone
Susan Smiley
jarnone@hour-media.com
handicap & membership associate
account manager Molly Smith
Mary-Jo Green
msmith@hour-media.com
director of course
rating & member services
copy editor Anne Berry Daugherty
Doug Hendershot
production director Trudie Cloyd
director of finance
Jan Qualtiere
senior production artist Eric Weir
event coordinator/
executive assistant
production artist
Rosie Rockov
senior director of
rules & competitions
Robert Gorczyca
senior advertising designer
John Tenney
Ken Hartmann
advertising designer
assistant director of
rules & competitions — rules
Megan DeKok
Jeanne Myers
assistant director of
rules & competitions — juniors
Chris Mills
web consultant
Smith Patterson
contributing writers
Jack Berry, Ron Gaines, David Graham,
Dennis Grall, Greg Johnson, Vartan Kupelian,
Tom Lang, Jeanne Myers, Norm Sinclair
contributing artists
Joann Dost, Carrie Hall, Jose Juarez, Kyle Raetz,
Dave Richards, Dave Troppens
address editorial comments to
tonia branch — golf association of michigan
Board of Governors
Gary H. Adelman
John W. Allen
Barry J. Andrews
Christopher Angott
John T. Barbour
David Baughman
Thomas Bollinger
Steve Braun
Inez Bridges
Robert Buckley
Danielle Buth
David G. Cameron
James Champion
Pat DeMaire
Frederic Devendorf
Charles H. Edwards
James Evanoff
A.J. Galsterer Jr.
Bill Hartwig
Thomas J. Hicks
Doug Hinton
James F. Judge
Cathy Kalahar
Mick Kildea
James A. Koepke
Roger Kuhl
Pam Kurtz
Linda T. Lester
Mark McAlpine
Brian E. Mills
Terry Moore
Timothy Moore
Jean Murray
Robert Nowikowski
Cynthia Pinkard
David Price
John Rowlands
James E. Russell
Donald R. Schepers
Harrison Stackpole
John B. Tomey
Stephen Varga
Marvin N. Weinstein
Sara Wold
Betty Woods
Michigan Links is the official publication of the Golf Association of Michigan, a not-for-profit organization serving all golfers in Michigan.
The text, opinions, and views expressed within this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions or the official policies of the Golf
Association of Michigan, editor and publisher. No part of this magazine is intended as an endorsement of any equipment, publication,
videotape, Web site, golf course, or other entity. No part of this magazine may be reproduced for any reason without prior written
approval from the GAM. The Association does not sell, rent, or otherwise release its mailing list of GAM Individual and Club Members.
We welcome all editorial submissions but assume no responsibility for the loss or damage of any unsolicited material. They will not
be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
24116 Research Drive
Farmington Hills, MI 48335
Phone: 248-478-9242
Fax: 248-478-5536
for advertising, please call
Jason Hosko
jhosko@hour-media.com
Phone: 248-691-1800, ext. 126
ad coordinator
Sheryl Vallus
svallus@hour-media.com
248-691-1800, ext. 128
hour media, l.l.c.
ceo Stefan Wanczyk
president John Balardo
Michigan Links ISSN 1531-1732 (U.S.P.S. No. 018-935) is published four times annually (March/April, May/June, July/August and
November/December) by the Golf Association of Michigan. Periodical postage paid at Farmington Hills, MI 48331 and additional
mailing offices. Single copies are available through the GAM for $2.95.
Postmaster: Send address changes to: Michigan Links, 24116 Research Drive, Farmington Hills, MI 48335, 248-478-9242. All GAM
members should receive Michigan Links.
Copyright © 2009, Golf Association of Michigan. Products and services mentioned in this publication may be trademarks of their
respective companies.
2
117 West Third St., Royal Oak, MI 48067
Phone: 248-691-1800 Fax: 248-691-4531
MICHIGAN LINKS | WWW.GAM.ORG
02_GAM_Board_Masthead copy.indd 1
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photographs by carrie hall.
Forecaddie
At this year’s GAM/Detroit
News Hole-in-One Contest,
participants were given
the option to donate $10
for an extra two shots. The
event raised $4,000 for the
Folds of Honor Foundation.
Major Ed Pulido (above
right), a retired U.S. Army
veteran who lost a leg during duty in Iraq, was on
hand to explain the foundation’s goal to provide
scholarships to spouses
and children of military
service members disabled
or killed in service. Since
2007, the foundation has
raised more than $3 million
and provided nearly 600
scholarships.
news & notes | events | gam benefits
teeing it up
for
patriot
First Tee Helping
golf
Youth day
Perfect weather — and
a good cause — drew
a healthy crowd of
hole-in-one hopefuls to
Whispering Willows GC.
03_Forecaddie_intro_.indd 1
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Forecaddie news | handicap
Handicap Committee
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Golf is a
game of honor?” Not just hollow words to
most of us. We’re expected to call penalties on ourselves and question others. We
have no problem asking a fellow competitor to recount his strokes, or keeping an
eye on a member of our group as he takes
a drop from a water hazard. We “protect
the field” by monitoring the actions of
others, and at the end of the round place
an attesting signature on a scorecard.
We seem to have no problem applying “peer review” to a tournament or
two-dollar Nassau, but when it comes to
handicapping, it’s a different story. The
code of honesty and integrity that levels
the playing field seems to fall apart. The
game’s code of honor means that even
a hint of dishonesty or cheating can’t be
accepted. But we seem to have trouble asking whether a round was posted for handicap purposes or if Equitable Stroke Control
was applied properly. Like the Rules of Golf,
such serious infractions can’t be ignored.
If so, the sense of honor as it applies to
handicapping is challenged.
Protecting the Game’s Integrity
Why the breakdown in “peer review,”
and what can a Handicap Committee do
about it?
The Handicap Committee is one of the
most important committees at a golf club,
ensuring fair play. But making sure the
system works correctly doesn’t start with
the committee; it starts with each member and peer review. In most cases, that’s
where the breakdown occurs.
If you look at the results of your tournaments and constantly see the same names,
it’s time to act. Every member needs to
feel he has a chance to win as he steps to
the first tee, but for some, the need to win
supersedes the need for integrity. That’s
why it’s important to develop a strong
Handicap Committee, with the support
of each member. The authority of your
club to issue and update USGA Handicap
Indexes rests with them.
4
Think of a Handicap Index as a letter of
introduction presented by a stranger you
meet at the first tee. The club they belong
to vouches for the accuracy of the index.
If that player were to play an event at your
club with a Handicap Index that didn’t
actually match his playing ability, it would
reflect negatively on his home club. It’s up
to the Handicap Committee — and each
member — to protect the club’s integrity.
The Committee’s ‘Power’
Once the Handicap Committee has been
formed and problems identified, it’s
important for the Board and other committees to let the Handicap Committee
function independently. The question
then becomes: What circumstances
should result in an adjustment to a player’s Handicap Index?
There are two committees at your club
that have the power to adjust a player’s
handicap. The first is an adjustment made
by a Tournament Committee. This is
an adjustment made only to a player’s
Course Handicap for a temporary period
of time, and is the only adjustment that
a tournament committee can make. The
second type of adjustment is to a player’s
Handicap Index. This adjustment is the
most severe, and can only be made by the
player’s Handicap Committee.
Adjusting an Index
The USGA Handicap Manual is pretty definite in this area. Remember, no one is
entitled to a Handicap Index, so there are
six circumstances in Section 8-4c when a
committee must make adjustments to an
index.
Most would consider the first three of
these benign: (i) a player improves faster
that the system can react, (ii) a temporary
disability, or (iii) if numerous away scores
are posted, which changes an index.
The next two are more strongly
worded: (iv) failure to post scores, and
(v) player manipulation of rounds. The
provisions under (iv) allow the committee to post the score or a penalty score for
an individual who fails to post or otherwise does not observe the spirit of the
Handicap System. Under the provisions
found in (v) the committee must adjust or
withdraw the Handicap Index of a player
for (a) posting erroneous scores, (b) stopping play to avoid posting, (c) playing
more that one ball to avoid posting, (d)
not adjusting hole scores under Section 4,
(e) deliberately reporting more or fewer
strokes than actually scored, or (f) deliberately taking extra strokes to inflate a score.
The most serious violation is found in
(vi), and it encourages a Handicap Committee to withdraw the index of a player
who continues to post scores that are
unacceptable for handicap purposes.
Before making any adjustments, the
committee needs to gather all information, including statements of other
players. Just as in our legal system,
each golfer is considered innocent until
proven otherwise, so the committee must
give the player the opportunity to present
evidence either in person or in writing
before an adjustment is made under Section 8-4b. Handled properly, the committee gives the club the ability to attest
to the validity of each member’s index,
and is the reason each club needs a strong
and vigilant committee to safeguard
golf’s code of honor.
photograph courtesy of istock.
by ron gaines, gam handicap chair
04_Forecaddie.indd 1
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news | milestones Forecaddie
It’s Easy to Renew!
sign up online for your 2010 gam membership
common
misconceptions
Two of the most common
misconceptions a committee must deal with are:
photographs courtesy of istock.
1. A score doesn’t have to be
posted if it is just a casual
round.
2. A score doesn’t have to be
posted if it wasn’t played on
your home course.
Both are incorrect assumptions. A Handicap Index reflects
a player’s potential ability. The
only valid reflection of a player’s
potential ability comes from posting all scores. The second misconception — that a player can
have an index based just on home
course scores — goes to the core
of the regulations under which
Handicap Indexes are computed.
Section 1-1 in the manual states
in part “that each player will try
to make the best score at every
hole in every round, regardless of
where the round is played, and
that the player will post every
acceptable round for peer review.
The player and the player’s
Handicap Committee have a joint
responsibility for adhering to
these premises.”
If your home club uses an index
computed from just home or
tournament scores it’s not following the spirit or guidelines of the
USGA Handicap System. In most
cases, clubs that use this method
do so because they either do not
have a Handicap Committee or
the committee is so weak that it
becomes a method of last resort.
GAM members from public clubs and
former private club members wishing
to maintain their Handicap Index can
sign up now for a 2010 GAM Gold Card
membership.
Current GAM members can renew
their existing membership by clicking
on “Member Login,” found at www.
gam.org. Also starting Dec. 1, 2009:
GAM members leaving their private
club can transfer their membership —
including their scoring record — by
logging into “Member Login” and
selecting the “transfer” button.
In addition to posting your scores
and maintaining your official GAM/
USGA Handicap Index, your 2010 GAM
Gold Card membership entitles you
to numerous Swing & Save discounts
(there were some 215 offers for 2009),
a one-year subscription to Golf Digest,
the opportunity to play in GAM tournaments, plus a chance to play in GAM
Golf Days and book “Exclusive Tee
Times” online at www.gam.org at select
private, resort, and public clubs, and
much, much more.
The GAM’s online score-posting system features a handicap “trend index”
that updates as you post scores, in addition to an official Handicap Index which
updates on scheduled revision dates.
To renew your GAM Gold Card membership, visit www.gam.org.
new exclusive tee times
benefit gets early thumbs-up
Numerous GAM members took a “test drive” when the GAM launched its newest
member benefit in September: the ability to book tee times online. Select private
clubs set aside blocks of tee times exclusively for GAM members. The GAM plans
to expand the program to public courses and resorts next season.
Early results were very positive. Members were able to visit the GAM Web site to
see a listing of tee times set aside exclusively for them at select private clubs. The
entire process is easy: just log in, go to “tee times” on the toolbar, find a tee time
that fits into your schedule, book it, and pay for it — all in one convenient step. The
price includes golf, cart, and driving range (if available). This new program is a great
opportunity for GAM members to play different courses and experience the benefits of private club membership.
Visit www.gam.org during the “off-season” for more information about the
expansion of this program. But please, do not call the clubs directly. If you have any
questions about this new program, call the GAM membership department at (248)
478-9242, ext. 19.
NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2009
5
10/27/09 1:52:18 PM
more opportunities, more participants by david graham
Wabeek CC was an ‘Exclusive Tee Time’ particpant.
We are all too aware of the economic
challenges virtually everyone has faced
this past year in Michigan. Unless you are
in the foreclosure business or the moving
business, you have felt the pinch. Despite
these challenges, the GAM had a reasonably strong 2009. Our membership actually increased over 2008 … not a lot, but
an increase is still meaningful.
We also saw an increase in tournament participation, with more than
3,000 competitors entering GAM events
in 2009. Part of the increase was due to
adding two new events to our schedule
— Boy’s Stroke Play and Men’s Senior
Match Play. Again, the increase was not
huge, and average participation per
event was flat year-over-year, but it’s
still progress.
We also increased opportunities for
members to play more great golf for less.
There were 215 Swing & Save offers,
where members could show their GAM
Gold Card and receive special offers. We
also increased opportunities for members
to play great courses through “GAM Golf
Days” and a pilot program introdced this
fall, “Exclusive Tee Times.”
In its second year, GAM Golf Days
6
have proven to be a smashing success.
We increased the number of days to 15
this year, from nine in 2008, and we had
more than 1,100 participants — double
the participants in the first year.
In September, we launched a pilot
project that is an extension of GAM Golf
Days. Six private GAM member clubs
permitted GAM members to purchase
tee times at their facilities through our
Web site, www.gam.org. While the day
didn’t include a chance to participate in
a competition, as in the GAM Golf Day,
you and your golf buddies could sign up
for tee times at great facilities, including Grosse Ile G&CC, The Wyndgate,
Davison CC, Boulder Lakes GC, Western
G&CC, and Wabeek CC. We will review
the results of this pilot to determine if we
should continue the program for 2010,
possibly on an even larger scale.
At the GAM, we remain committed
to providing ways for our members to
play more golf at more Michigan facilities than ever before. Thank you for your
support. Let’s hope for a short winter
and a warm spring!
David Graham is executive director of the GAM.
Osprey Group Provides
More Scholarships
GAM corporate sponsor Osprey
Recreational Properties is in the
process of awarding several more
$2,000 scholarships to GAM
junior golfers. Osprey began
awarding the scholarships in
2006. Four junior golfers receive
these renewable scholarships.
WGA Names Kaczkowski
President/CEO
The Western Golf Association
has named John Kaczkowski to
be its next president and CEO.
He succeeds Don Johnson, who
held the post for the past 21 years.
Kaczkowski joined the WGA in
1998 and became its tournament
director in 2000. He will head
management of both the WGA
and the Evans Scholars Foundation
for caddies.
Michigan Courses
Get Noticed
Golf Digest named Ann Arbor’s
Leslie Park Golf Course as the
state’s “best municipal” course
for 2009. It earned a 4.5-star rating. Meanwhile, Forest Dunes Golf
Club, the 7,141-yard Tom Weiskopf
design in Roscommon, was
selected as the best public course
in America in a national vote by
readers of Golf World magazine.
Think Spring! West
Michigan Golf Show
For more than 20 years, West
Michigan has started the golf season off with the West Michigan
Golf Show. Top equipment dealers,
courses, and resorts from around
the country, and more — all make
their way to Grand Rapids. DeVos
Place will once again host the event,
scheduled for Feb. 12-14, 2010.
Don’t forget, GAM members can
receive a discount to the show. Go
to www.gam.org for details.
photograph courtesy of wabeek country club.
Forecaddie news | milestones
Good Golf Despite
Tough Times
milestones
10/27/09 1:53:01 PM
Forecaddie
photographs by carrie hall.
gam member relations day
The 2009 GAM Member Relations Day — held
on Sept. 11 at Western Golf & County Club in
Redford — was a big success, raising $14,240,
which was split between the Michigan Turgrass
Foundation and The Evans Scholars Foundation.
After a fun team-oriented day of golf at the
Donald Ross-designed course — including entry
into hole-in-one contests — participants bid on
specially donated auction items, including rounds
of golf at premium sites. The evening included
dinner, the silent auction, and a raffle.
Bob Buckley, Dave Baughman,
and Ron Gaines
Ken Juroff, Frank Guerro, Adrian
Lyman, and Frank Jacoboni
Francine Pegues, Pat Shelton, and
Cynthia Pinkard
Bidding on silent
auction items
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We Are Michigan Golf.
Britney Hamilton took the
Michigan Women’s Amateur
crown in dramatic fashion.
Tom Werkmeister bested the field to win
his first Michigan Amateur title.
Veterans, Rookies, Playoffs, and More
Cap GAM Championship Season
photographs courtesy of jose juarez, dave troppens,
and the famly of christine meier.
From the early May qualifiers for the Michigan Amateur to October’s finale at the GAM Tournament of Club Champions, the GAM continued
to administer some of the best-run amateur tournaments in the country. The 2009 season was filled with action-packed moments, including
victories by veterans and rookies — plus a few tense playoffs.
At the 98th Michigan Amateur at Spring
Meadows CC, Tom Werkmeister — who
lost in last year’s semifinal match — was on
a mission. The 41-year-old from Kentwood
got his season off to a good start, winning
his second Horton Smith Invitational title
(he won in 2005) at Detroit Golf Club in
May. At the Michigan Amater, he bested a
host of college-aged competitors — including Battle Creek native and U-M golfer Matt
Thompson 3 and 2 in the title match. “Greg
Davies was my inspiration,” Werkmeister
said. “He won the tournament when he was
38 and that made me think that maybe I can
win at 41.”
Meanwhile, Britney Hamilton capped a
come-from-behind run to sink a 19-foot
putt on the 18th hole to win the 93rd
Michigan Women’s Amateur at Great Oaks
CC. “This is the first championship I’ve
won since high school, and my first match
play championship ever,” said the Western
Michigan University golfer after her backand-forth final match against MSU golfer
and Mount Pleasant native Natalie Brehm.
It was a satisfying, if less dramatic, victory
for Chris Mory (Haslett) at the 88th GAM
Christine Meier
Championship at Travis Pointe CC. A birdie
on the 17th hole put him four strokes ahead
of his closest competitor on the final day.
Mory, a sophomore on the MSU golf team,
shot 69s in the first two rounds.
On the junior front, it was a 2-for-1 for
Devon Compton of Rochester. She took
top stroke play and match play spots at
the 31st Michigan Girls Junior Amateur.
Petoskey’s Joey Garber split the take at
the Michigan Junior State Amateur, winning the stroke play portion of the event,
defending his title from last year. Jordan
Fletcher prevailed in match play.
At the Tournament of Club Champions,
Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll (Haslett) took the
women’s honors, while Greg Reynolds
(Flint) won the men’s event in a playoff.
The longest playoff of the championship season came during the 18th GAM
Women’s Championship at Battle Creek
CC. Christine Meier (Rochester Hills)
won in dramatic fashion, sinking her putt
on the fourth playoff hole to defeat Darby
Peters (Lake Orion). It was a “deja-vu”
moment: The high school rivals met in
a four-hole playoff in a tournament last
year. Meier won that battle, as well.
Meier capped the year by taking top individual honors and leading Rochester High
to an MHSAA Division 1 championship.
See page 10 for a complete list of GAM Championship winners. For more season highlights and results,
go to www.gam.org.
9_GAM Highlights.indd 1
9
10/27/09 1:54:35 PM
2009 GAM Championship Results
Tournament/Sponsor
Champion(s)
38th Fuller Cup Matches Oakland Hills CC (North Course) GAM Team
1st GAM Senior Match Play
Port Huron GC (Presented by: Buick Open)
Bill Zylstra
11th GAM Women’s Mid-Am
Western G&CC (Presented by: Nationwide Insurance)
Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll
Each year the GAM tallies up its
Honor Roll for amateur golfers.
The top point-getters are crowned
Player of the Year (POY). For
2009, there are some new —
and a lot of familiar — faces.
98th Michigan Amateur
Tom Werkmeister
Spring Meadows CC (Presented by: Osprey Recreational)
8th Michigan Women’s Senior Am
Barb Schmid
Hawk Hollow GC (Presented by: Hometown Newspapers)
31st Michigan Girls Junior State Amateur
CC of Jackson (Presented by: Osprey Recreational)
Devon Compton (Stroke Play)
Devon Compton (Match Play)
93rd Michigan Women’s Amateur
Great Oaks CC (Presented by: Buick Open)
Britney Hamilton
31st Michigan Junior State Amateur
Pine Lake CC Joey Garber (Stroke Play)
Jordan Fletcher (Match Play)
(Presented by: Osprey Recreational)
7th GAM Junior Two-Person Team
Atlas Valley CC
(Presented by: Osprey Recreational)
Brooke Adamczak/Heather Marks (Girls)
Wesley Gates/Trevor Grigg (Boys)
Kaitlyn Brasher/Alex Hemmila (Mixed)
Women’s Atlas Trophy Matches
Lyon Oaks GC
Public Team
88th GAM Championship
Travis Pointe CC (Presented by: Nationwide Insurance)
Chris Mory 18th GAM Women’s Championship
Battle Creek CC (Presented by: Nationwide Insurance)
Christine Meier
3rd GAM Senior Four-Ball Oakhurst G&CC (Presented by: Sullivan Golf & Travel)
Bill Zylstra/John Jakubiak (Seniors)
John Czarnik/John O’Donovan (Super Seniors)
1st GAM Boys’ Stroke Play
Lakelands G&CC (Presented by: Osprey Recreational)
Francesco Ruffino
13th GAM Women’s Senior
Little Traverse Bay GC (Presented by: Pepsi)
Joan Garety
27th GAM Mid-Amateur
Tom Werkmeister
Boyne Highlands Resort (Presented by: Lesson on Golf)
(Presented by: Michigan Golf Live)
Al Petrulis/Sal Petrulis (Men)
Debra Horning/Sonia Pysh-Denison (Women)
Molly Gibson/Wayne Kennedy (Mixed)
8th Michigan Net Amateur
Oak Pointe CC (Presented by: Pepsi)
Mike Kidder (Overall & Men)
Keith McKenzie (Senior Men)
Janelle Marshall (Women)
Liz Houston (Senior Women)
23rd GAM Senior Championship
Blythefield CC (Presented by: Robert W. Baird)
Tom Stauffer
Men’s Atlas Trophy Matches
Meadowbrook CC Private Team
GAM Tournament of Club Champions
Oakland University (Sharf & Katke Courses)
Greg Reynolds (Men)
Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll (Women)
19th GAM Net Team
Edgewood CC 9_GAM Highlights.indd 2
players of
the year
Junior Boy’s: Petoskey’s Joey
Garber wins his second straight
POY. He made the quarterfinals at
the Michigan Amateur, plus racked
up points at the U.S. Junior Amateur, Michigan Junior Amateur,
and the AJGA.
Junior Girl’s: Devon Compton
of Rochester pulled off a 2-for-1 at
the Michigan Girls Junior Amateur,
taking both the top stroke play
spot and finishing as the match
play champion.
Men’s: Tom Werkmeister of
Kentwood nabbed his first POY,
winning the Michigan Amateur
and the GAM Mid-Am, as well as
the Michigan Medal Play, and a
Top 10 spot at the Michigan Open.
Women’s: High school senior
Christine Meier of Rochester took
the POY title with strong play —
including a victory at the GAM
Women’s Championship and the
semifinals at the Michigan Women’s Amateur.
Senior Men’s: Bill Zylstra took
his fourth straight POY title, winning the GAM Senior Match Play
Senior Division, plus playing well
in GAM and other Michigan and
USGA championships.
Senior Women’s: Joan Garety
of Ada took her third straight
senior POY title by winning the
GAM Women’s Senior Championship, plus strong showings at a
number of GAM- and USGA-run
events, including the U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur sectional.
10/27/09 1:55:03 PM
Significant results of state players
at other 2009 championships:
Scott Hebert, the professional
at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa,
won his fourth consecutive Michigan PGA Championship, setting a
competitive course record of 64
at Eagle Eye. Hebert also played in
the PGA Championship and Buick
Open, and went 5-0-0 to help the
U.S. team to victory at the 24th
PGA Cup in Scotland.
We’re Listening
gam adds more championships, more ‘net’ events
photo courtesy of blythefield country club.
Based on member feedback, the GAM
added several events this past year — for the
young, the young at heart, and for the “rest
of us” who may never come close to playing
scratch golf.
The 1st GAM Boys’ Stroke Play Championship, won by Francesco Ruffino, gave
the 14-and-under set a 36-hole tournament experience. The 1st GAM Senior
Match Play offered 18 holes of stroke play,
followed by three days of match play.
Senior Men’s Player of the Year Bill Zylstra
took the top spot.
An expanded series of “GAM Golf Days”
continued the GAM’s push to add more
“net” opportunities — the fastest-growing
segment of GAM-run events and tournaments. For only $55 — less than a normal
guest fee — GAM members were able to
play at more than 15 of Michigan’s finest private clubs and resorts. Many of the
18-hole stroke-play events with a full
GAM/USGA Handicap Index sold out
quickly. The cost included a cart, range
balls, and prizes for gross and net winners.
Visit www.gam.org for details on next
year’s “GAM Golf Days” and join the fun!
Additional “net” events dot the GAM
schedule, from the Net Amateur (won this
year by Mike Kidder) and Net Team (won
by siblings Al and Sal Petrulis) to the GAM
Father & Son and Parent & Child championships. There are also gross and net winners
at the GAM’s Senior Women’s Am
and Women’s Mid-Am championships.
To find a GAM event that fits your game — and
your schedule — be sure to visit www.gam.org and
join in the fun!
2009 gam
tournaments by
the numbers
20 GAM Championships
12 USGA Qualifiers
3,465 Players ages 6 to 89.
85 Golf courses played.
Brendan Gielow of Muskegon
helped the U.S. Walker Cup team
to victory over the Great Britain
& Ireland team. The Wake Forest
golfer won his final singles match
at Merion in Ardmore, Pa. He also
won the Porter Cup at Niagara Falls
CC in dramatic fashion, chipping in
from just off the green on the third
playoff hole, as well as top-10 finishes at the Jones Cup Invitational,
The Northeast Amateur, and the
Sunnehanna Amateur.
Allison Fouch, former MSU
golfer and currently on the LPGA
Tour, won the Michigan Women’s
Open, held in August at Crystal
Mountain. She edged current Spartan, Laura Kueny, by one stroke.
Ryan Brehm, the former MSU
All-American from Mount Pleasant,
won the 2009 Michigan Open at
Orchard Lake Country Club in June.
Russ Cunningham won the
2009 West Michigan Amateur at
Candlestone Resort, edging fourtime champion Tom Werkmeister.
Randy Lewis made it to the
round of 16 during the U.S. MidAmateur Championship at South
Carolina’s Kiawah Island Club.
Greg Reynolds made it to the
quarterfinals of the U.S. Senior
Amateur at Beverly CC in Chicago.
other michigan
notables
Blythefield CC was one of the
popular “GAM Golf Days” sites.
11
10/27/09 1:55:21 PM
foundation formed to support junior golf
Potential golf stars of tomorrow will be on hand next July when Egypt Valley Country
Club hosts the 2010 U.S. Junior Amateur. But the Grand Rapids-area club’s members are
hoping the event spurs an even greater impact on the future of local junior golf.
They’ve formed the Western Michigan Junior Golf Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, to help defray the expense of hosting the USGA event — and to lay the groundwork
to support more local junior golf programs (see sidebar).
“Junior golf is a special passion of mine,
and I’d like to see more opportunities for
kids,” says John O’Donovan, the former
GAM president and longtime Egypt Valley
member who is general chairman for the
2010 U.S. Junior Amateur. “Right now,
excellent junior tournament players have
all sorts of venues. But there are not a lot of
opportunities for beginning and less skilled
players. Locally, The Mines and Grand
Rapids Golf Club have junior programs
with over 150 participants. Even though at
$80-$100 (five-week program) it’s a great
value, a lot of kids can’t afford the cost.”
The foundation hopes to help open such
programs up to more junior golfers.
But first, there’s that big event to host
next July 19-24. And with the Buick Open
leaving the state, it will be the only “major”
tournament held in Michigan next year.
Tomorrow’s PGA Stars
The U.S. Junior Amateur features the very
best under-18 male golfers in the world (in
1999, the championship attracted a record
4,508 entries).
Only Tiger Woods (naturally) has won
the event more than once. Only five players have reached the finals twice. Woods
remains the youngest champion (he was15
years, six months, and 28 days old when
he won in 1991). He also holds titles to the
most championships won, most consecutive championships, and most times in the
finals (1991, 1992, and 1993).
Woods hasn’t been the event’s only
future star. Jack Nicklaus qualified five
times. Other participants who eventually
made the PGA Tour include Johnny Miller,
Gary Koch, Andy North, David Duval,
Curtis Strange, Trevor Immelman, Hunter
Mahan, Aaron Baddeley, and Ryan Moore.
12
A Worthy Venue
The 2010 U.S. Junior Amateur will be contested on the inward nines of Egypt Valley’s
Ridge and Valley courses, both designed by
Arthur Hills and opened in 1990. The club
has hosted many USGA qualifiers and GAM
championships, and a Champions Tour
event was played here from 1994-2004.
The juniors will play the course at 7,206
yards (slightly less than the longest Junior
Amateur held in Shoal Creek, Ala., in
2008), but Egypt Valley will more than live
up to the challenge.
“All the USGA has requested of us is that
we grow the rough from the customary
2 inches to 3½, and the green speed will be
about 11 — we’re normally at around 9½,”
says O’Donovan. “Plus, the players will get
their fill of uphill and downhill lies.”
The U.S. Junior’s Michigan Roots
“The U.S. Junior Amateur has some roots
here in Michigan,” says O’Donovan. In
1948, the USGA’s inaugural U.S. Junior
Amateur was held at the University of Michigan Golf Course and drew 495 entries.
Dean Lind defeated future U.S. Open Champion Ken Venturi in the final.
Michigan hosted the U.S. Junior Amateur
two other times: in 1962 at Lochmoor Club
in Grosse Pointe Woods, and in 1980 at
Pine Lake Country Club in Orchard Lake.
Michigan has hosted 29 previous USGA
championships, from U.S. Amateurs at the
Country Club of Detroit (notably, Arnold
Palmer’s win in 1954) to U.S. Opens at
Oakland Hills. The 2008 U.S. Women’s
Mid Am was held at Barton Hills CC in Ann
Arbor. The U.S. Senior Amateur is slated for
2012 at Indianwood G&CC’s Old Course. For more information about the 2010 U.S. Junior
Amateur, go to www.usga.org.
support the
u.s. junior am
Hosting a national championship is prestigious, but it comes
with a cost. The USGA considers it “noncommercial” — the
host can’t charge admission or
even charge for parking. It’s up
to Egypt Valley to provide transportation to and from the hotels,
plus food for players and caddies.
“When we signed on to do
this five years ago,” says John
O’Donovan, “none of us expected
the Michigan economy to be as
bad as it is.”
The club is seeking ways to keep
costs down. “We don’t plan to
emulate Trump National and hold
lavish parties,” adds O’Donovan.
(Trump National GC hosted the
2009 U.S. Junior Amateur. Reportedly, Donald Trump himself wrote
a check to put on the event.)
All told, it will still cost about
$200,000 to host the event.
Egypt Valley members donated
services to form the Western
Michigan Junior Golf Foundation.
The 501 (c)(3) organization is
seeking corporate and individual
patrons to make tax-deductible
donations to help pay for the
Junior Amateur. Contributors will
be listed on a board at the scoreboard and in the program. After the
event, the foundation will continue
to support local junior programs.
Egypt Valley formed 16 committees to make sure the event is a
success, says O’Donovan. “There is
a group working to bring an LPGA
event to the Grand Rapids area. If
we do this well, that will go a long
way to show that the area is capable of hosting other events, too.”
The Western Michigan Junior Golf
Foundation plans to establish a Web
site. If you are interested in making
a donation or volunteering, contact
John O’Donovan at modono9950@
aol.com, or call Jennifer Warner at
Egypt Valley CC: (616) 676-2626, or
e-mail Jennifer@egyptvalley.com.
Forecaddie
Forecaddie news | milestones
Egypt Valley CC Set to Host
2010 U.S. Junior Amateur
10/27/09 1:55:50 PM
Feature
the big picture
The Big Picture:
Michigan
Golf 2009
the good, the bad,
and the ugly
photograph courtesy of treetops resort.
Nearly half of Treetops Resorts’ online bookings
came from out of state.
Golf has suffered along with the rest of the Michigan economy. As the 2009 season progressed, private clubs struggled
to retain members, resorts fought for a share of tourism
dollars, rumors (mostly false) flew about pending bankruptcies and closings, and there were tales of near-empty
parking lots and dwindling tee sheets.
So was all gloom and doom in Michigan? Depends on
where you look. And whom you talk to (understandably,
some locations declined to discuss any negative news).
“From my board members, I’m hearing the industry overall is flat, but optimistic,” says Kate Moore, executive director
of the Michigan Golf Course Owners Association. “Everyone
is working harder and smarter for the same dollar. No one is
jumping for joy, but most are holding their own.
“People realize they have to approach the business differently,” Moore says.
Many operations adjusted to the down economy by developing out-of-the-box plans. Says Crystal Mountain’s Director
of Golf Brad Dean: “We used different media, offered different packages … we changed the way we thought. You can’t
just do ‘same old, same old’ or you’re not going to do well.”
Michigan’s not alone in this. According to a recent article
in Golf Business magazine, some 15 percent of private golf
clubs have been reporting serious financial challenges, and
more than 50 percent admit to trying some form of discounting.
Mike Bylen, managing partner at Pine Trace, Shepherd’s
Hollow, and Cherry Creek golf clubs, sees a silver lining in
the state’s economic malaise.
“I’ve learned some valuable lessons because of the situation
we find ourselves in,” he says. “I think I have become a better businessman out of necessity.”
On the following pages, Michigan Links provides a regional roundup to find out how a
cross-section of golf facilities in Michigan are weathering the economic storm.
16_Feature2indd.indd 1
13
10/27/09 1:59:21 PM
Feature
the up north report
Weather and the Economy Pack a One-Two Punch
by jack berry
Bargain Hunters and Late Bookers
Operators throughout the north found golfers always looking
for deals, wanting to negotiate a better price.
“Whether it was a twosome or a group of 24, they wanted
Traverse City G&CC
to negotiate,” explains Darin Philport, the general manager at
Dunmaglas GC. “It’s an unfortunate process our industry is
going through.”
weather was a factor. Radio and TV weather forecasts would
Some courses cut prices to boost traffic. Crystal Lake GC
talk of rain and people would stay away. Even so, he says, “We
in Beulah packed them in with “dollar days” on Monday and
didn’t have many total washout days.”
Thursday, charging a dollar per hole. Carts
How about good news?
were $4 for nine holes; $7 for 18.
“Everything is green. It’s like June,” says
It’s so important to
Another common comment regarded
DeAgostino of the late-season conditions.
late booking. Instead of booking a week or
Also on the “glass-is-half-full” side, there
re-image the state,
month ahead, people would wait until a
weren’t any high-humidity, 90-plus-degree,
putting out images of scorching days. Cool days and rain resulted
day or two before calling for reservations
or tee times, which made it difficult to
all that we have — the in so much grass at some courses, one golfer
decide on staffing levels.
who had difficulty whacking his ball out of
water, the towns, the the rough asked the staff if they were preWeather Woes
courses, the beauty ...” paring for a PGA tournament. “They said
Want more woe? Try the weather.
they’d had to cut staff and weren’t mowing
— Boyne USA’s Stephen Kircher
“It snowed last November 19 and
the rough as much,” he reports.
never melted until April,” says Steve Hammon of Traverse City
“We put our maintenance staff on 36-hour weeks, down
G&CC and president of the Michigan Golf Course Superintenfrom 40 hours in 2008 — and before that, we’d do overtime,”
dents Association. “We opened nine holes on April 10, but still
Treetops’ McKinley says. “But all our courses were in great
had snow on nine holes.”
condition. And we used to have three manager meetings dur“The weather’s been awful,” Matthias agrees. “Rain, rain,
ing the summer, but instead of meetings, we went out and
rain in July and August, and cold.”
pulled weeds.”
“The average July temperature was 66,” adds Bob Koutnik of
An early September break helped. “Finally, we’ve had 14
Fox Run CC in Grayling. “Last year it was the economy and gas- straight days of perfect sunshine and good bookings,” says
oline prices. This year it’s been the weather and the economy.”
Boyne USA’s head man, Stephen Kircher. “And we’ve had an
Then there was Boyne Country, where it rained eight straight inordinate amount of out-of-state business, more than we’ve
Saturdays.
ever seen — and that’s thanks to the Pure Michigan campaign.”
J. Michael DeAgostino of Grand Traverse Resort says: “Our
general manager is a 30-year veteran of the industry and he says The Pure Michigan Factor
he’s never seen anything like this.”
Praise for Michigan’s media campaign was unanimous. “It’s so
Like everyone in the north, Treetops’ McKinley says the
important to re-image the state, putting out images of all that
14
photo courtesy of traverse city g&cc.
It wasn’t the best of times for Northern Michigan
golf this season, but it wasn’t the worst. High Pointe GC near
Traverse City didn’t even open. Garland Resort was sold.
One thing that wasn’t a concern was high gasoline prices — a
huge damper during 2008. But the sluggish Michigan economy
and Mother Nature dealt a double-edged blow.
“The only thing keeping the doors open are our elk rides with
dinner, wine tastings, and bus tours from outside Michigan,” says
Jack Matthias of Thunder Bay Resort near Lake Huron.
Adds Kevin McKinley of Treetops Resort: “We’re definitely
down a little from last year (but) not as bad as we thought it
would be.”
10/27/09 1:59:39 PM
Value Packages and Guarded
Optimism
A spike in out-of-state travelers, coupled
with a necessity-induced shift in the mindset of many courses’ marketing and operating strategies, is giving rise to optimism.
“We changed the way we do things,”
Treetops’ McKinley explains. “People who
booked an unlimited golf package could
play as much as they wanted — we didn’t
have a replay fee if they wanted to play 36
holes.
“We also donated $10 per person per
night to a charity of their choosing in their
home town. We sold 275 of those packages
and feel we had a very good response.”
Additions such as an alpine slide and
water park “added another dimension to
what we offer,” says Crystal Mountain
Resort & Spa’s Director of Golf, Brad Dean.
“We did a lot of different things. We put
together family fun packages and had golf
packages that included a lesson, which
kept our teachers busy and brought in new
customers.”
Watching costs helped, too. “We made
adjustments in staff every day, and made
‘out-of-play’ areas on the courses into
‘wilding’ areas,” Dean says. “We weathered the summer very well as a total resort.
Was it our best? No. But we did OK.”
At Shanty Creek Resort, meanwhile,
rounds were actually up this year, thanks
to packages offering unlimited golf. Adding to the increased rounds: “We also offer
a ‘kids stay and eat free’ — and on the
Summit and Schuss courses, youth 17 and
under play for no charge with an adult,”
A Ray of Sunshine
Pure Michigan Campaign Takes Edge Off Stagnant Economy
Pure Michigan ads were seen
in Chicago — and beyond.
Pure Michigan isn’t just for television and
radio anymore. It’s a giant billboard in New
York’s Times Square. It’s the Internet social
networks of Facebook and Twitter, YouTube
and Blogger, and Flickr.
The campaign welcomes a non-Michigan
audience to our unique two-peninsula state,
with more than 800 public courses designed
by today’s foremost wizards of the soil.
Michigan is bursting out across
America with the smooth voice of native
son Tim Allen, narrating the wonders of
our state with pictures that draw outsiders in. Ad agency McCann Worldwide
developed the program, which Forbes.
com listed as one of the 10 best tourism
campaigns ever (think “I ‘heart’ NY” or
“Virginia is for Lovers”).
“We did ‘Great Lakes State’ for 10
years and it never caught on,” says
George Zimmermann, a native Texan
who is vice president of Travel Michigan,
an arm of the Michigan Economic Development Corp.
Does Pure Michigan work?
“Anecdotally, we hear it all the time.
But we hired Longwood International,
which does research on advertising campaigns, the last five years,” says Zimmermann. “We’ve found that for every dollar
spent on advertising, out-of-state visitors
return $40 to Michigan businesses, and
$2.86 of that goes, in tax, to the state
treasury.
“This is the first year that we’ve gone
national,” Zimmermann adds. “All of the
media and editorial have been positive.
The private sector is near unanimous in
support and wants it to continue. We
received 6,000 petition signatures and
1,000 letters of approval from convention and visitors’ bureaus around the
state (to present to the governor and
Legislature).”
(Editor’s Note: The Legislature approved
$30 million to advertise Michigan in 2009,
a significant boost. At press time, the 2010
funding for the Pure Michigan campaign
had not been determined as negotiations
continued on the state budget shortfall.)
Zimmermann says it is important to
keep the campaign going — a feeling
shared by course owners across the
state. Thunder Bay’s Jack Matthias says:
“The campaign has been wonderful.
Things would’ve been worse if it hadn’t
been done, and as for the return on the
investment, the Mafia would kill for that
kind of return.”
“The bottom line is there is no question that Michigan is a national quality
product and not every state is,” Zimmermann says. “Sometimes things are taken
for granted — the (usually) nice weather,
the long summer daytime hours, the golf
courses, the water. People who live in hot
places with no water — Atlanta, Dallas,
Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Omaha, St. Louis
— should come here.”
Zimmermann knows of which he
speaks. As a youngster in Dallas, he
caddied in 100-degree heat. Back then,
he couldn’t go to www.michigan.org
and link onto Pure Michigan.
—Jack Berry
photo courtesy of travel michigan.
we have — the water, the towns, the courses, the beauty — instead of, ‘Oh Michigan!
Detroit, decay, crime,’ ” says Kircher.
Adds Dunmaglas’ Philport: “We’ve had a
lot of people from other states — Missouri,
Georgia, Texas. We had numerous groups
from California fly in on a six-day vacation
... and there’s so much else to do in this area
(Charlevoix, Petoskey, Harbor Springs).”
“Nearly half of our online tee time
bookings came from out of state,” adds
Treetops’ McKinley. “We were one of the
sites shown in the (Pure Michigan) TV
spots and we got a lot of comments: ‘Know
what? I think I saw this on TV.’ ”
15
10/27/09 2:00:02 PM
Feature
the up north report
Garland Lodge
Thanks To you,
we’re advancing The game.
— Garland’s Barry Owens
says Brian Kautz, director of golf. However, the boost from those
types of rounds didn’t add revenue (which was slightly down).
Kautz credits the ownership (the resort was purchased by
Trinidad Resort & Club, LLC in 2006) with “doing everything that
the property required. It was getting very dated and tired, and
they’ve gone to great lengths to rejuvenate it.” Topping the list
was a $10 million renovation of its hotel and conference center.
Garland, long popular for a half-century, got new ownership
on Aug. 1. Ron Otto, whose father started Garland, retired after
expanding the resort and bringing in the biggest logs this side of
the Rockies for the lodge.
Says Barry Owens, who has been retained as president of the
newly christened Garland Lodge and Resort: “The new owners
are committed to growing the property, giving it a whole face-lift
from rooms in the lodge to the patio, to repaving areas. And all the
bunkers will be improved. Incredible things are going on.”
The new owners — New Frontiers Capital, LLC — are certainly
bullish on Michigan. They’re planning to not only reinvest in all
four courses, they’ve also retained course architect Michael Benkusky to develop a fifth championship golf course.
Jack Berry is a frequent contributor to Michigan Links, and a member of the
Michigan Golf Hall of Fame.
16
photograph courtesy of garland lodge and resort.
The golf association of michigan is pleased to
recognize the support of our 2009 corporate
sponsors. in addition to providing special
benefits to gam members, these partners,
through their financial investment, help insure
that amateur golf in michigan continues to
grow and prosper. we urge our members to
recognize and patronize these companies
to help express our thanks for their ongoing
interest and support.
The new owners are committed to
growing the property, giving it a
whole face-lift from rooms in the
lodge to the patio, to repaving areas.
And all the bunkers will be improved.”
10/27/09 2:01:26 PM
Feature
metro detroit report
Necessity Drives Invention
by norm sinclair
Through most of 2009, golf course operators were desperately praying for
a miracle to save them from record cool temperatures, constant rainfall,
and Michigan’s moribund economy.
Then Mother Nature teed up dry, summer-like weather in late August and September.
The stretch provided such a tonic that some operators predicted this year’s bottom line
could actually surpass last year’s.
Ironically, while the cool and wet days chased players away, the damp conditions
provided unexpected help in money saved on irrigation and turf management.
“From a standpoint of the expense side and cost of maintaining golf courses, we had
a very favorable year,” says Jim Dewling, president of Total Golf, an organization with 12
clubs in metro Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Mount Pleasant under its umbrella.
photograph courtesy of cherry creek golf club.
Cherry Creek GC
A Change in (Business) Plans
The tepid economy forced most clubs
to adjust their business plans, resorting
to discounts, special days, and creative
membership drives to attract players and
members.
Danny Wilkie, director of golf at
Heather Hills GC north of Romeo, says a
coupon program offering $100 green fees
with carts for foursomes and $20 with
cart for seniors has been very helpful.
“It’s a drive to get to our golf course,
but overall it’s been pretty good,” he says.
“We (had) a lot of group outings and
end-of-the-year outings on the books.”
Lindsay Mason III, director of golf at
New Rogell GC in Detroit, says special
discounts on the 1914 Donald Ross design
paid off.
“Play is up about 15 percent,” he says.
“We believe in giving back to the community. We give early bird specials, discount golf on the weekends, as well as
quite a bit of discount during the week.
Monday and Tuesday, for instance, discount golf with a cart is $20. On Friday,
the 18-hole special — based on two
people with cart — is $15.”
Increasing course “traffic” is the key.
“What you’re looking to do is make up
for price, hopefully, with volume, and
recover the lower prices with your hot
dogs, pro shop, and range sales,” Dewling says.
At Dewling’s flagship Mystic Creek GC
in Milford, Monday, once reserved for
outings, is now called “Mystic Monday.”
“We offer a $21 rate for golf and cart,
where the normal fee would have been
in the $40 range,” Dewling says. “We
basically doubled the gross on Monday.
We turned a $21 player into a $30 player,
before they are done with their grill and
concessions and range balls. We may have
taken a little abuse on the golf course but,
at the same time, I think it is one way to
combat the economic times.”
Avoiding ‘Giveaways’
While he accepts discounts as a way of life
these days, Mike Bylen, managing partner
at Pine Trace, Shepherd’s Hollow, and
Cherry Creek golf clubs, stays clear of
“giveaways.”
“There is a difference between what
some people consider discounting and
market rate,” he says. “What I’m averse to
is giving away two-for-ones, and the like.
I would rather adjust my rate to where
everyone is in the marketplace.”
Bylen says that despite revenue shortfalls, his courses are performing well,
thanks to cost-cutting and — thanks to
the cool weather — savings reaped from
reduced maintenance expenses.
“We’ve taken very systematic costcutting measures,” he says. “A lot of it is
in staffing levels, especially at the management level. We still write a schedule for a
week in advance, but we are reviewing it
every day to see what the tee sheet looks
like and we are calling people on or off.”
Private Bargains
Private clubs around the area have, likewise, adopted discounts to attract new
members. Some, like TPC of Michigan in
Dearborn and Oak Pointe CC in Brighton, offered incentive membership drive
programs.
“It was a limited program for a select
number of people that gave them access
on very restricted days and times,” says
NOVEMBER /| DECEMBER
DECEMBER 2009
2008
19
17
10/27/09 2:01:42 PM
metro detroit
TPC General Manager Lee Woodruff. “We did it that way so
we could protect the integrity of the full members.”
The newcomers were restricted to Tuesday and Wednesday, and after 2 p.m. on Thursday through Sunday. Members
got first pick of the tee times.
Newcomers’ guest fees were higher than the full membership paid, and they had to pay cash or with credit cards at each
visit and did not get lockers, club storage, or other privileges
of full membership (such as reciprocity at other TPC courses).
While Woodruff declined to reveal how many players took
advantage of the program, he says it filled gaps in their slowest times, while building a pool of prospects for next year’s
full membership drives.
Jon Cheshire, general manager at Oak Pointe, says the club
managed to keep stable their membership of 850 families —
including 600 golfing families. The club offered a discount
in initiation from $6,000 to $3,500, while keeping monthly
dues intact. They also mailed two $25 certificates for food
and beverage to each member in the spring and fall, to
encourage club use.
“We created a member referral program this year that not
only rewards the member doing the referral but rewards the
new member, as well,” he says. “Referral members get $100
off their dues each month for one year, and the new member
also gets the same discount.”
Cheshire says the club is experiencing an increase in
rounds played by members, plus Oak Pointe’s ClubCorp
ownership insulates members from not having to pay assessments or food or beverage minimums. And their membership is honored at 200 clubs around the country.
Leagues and Seniors Carry the Day
While many clubs say corporate golf outings had almost disappeared and other outings were also faltering, league play
and weekday play by seniors were the bright spots.
“The league numbers held up pretty well,” Total Golf’s
Dewling says. “I think it’s a case where household budgets
allow for nine holes a week in a league, where some of the
open golf might be curtailed a little bit.”
Seniors have become the mainstays of weekday business.
Senior golfers responded to special discounts and special
day fees.
At the family-run Hunter’s Ridge GC in Howell, Joe and
Janet Miesle decided early in the year to keep their usually
lower spring rate on all summer.
Seniors age 50 and over could play this Jerry Matthews/
Paul Albanese design with a cart Monday through Friday
for $20. The weekday rate was $25 with a cart; on weekend
afternoons, foursomes played for $30.
“We realize times are tough for everyone,” says Janet.
“Hopefully, we can make it up with more rounds.”
Norm Sinclair is a former Detroit News writer and award-winning
investigative reporter who also likes writing about golf.
18
Half Empty …
and Half Full
by greg johnson
Blythefield CC’s Patti Butcher isn’t the type to brag that
she saw this coming … but she saw it coming.
The general manager/golf professional/instructor put a new
business model in place more than two years ago at the private
club in Belmont on Grand Rapids’ north side.
“The industry has changed and the golfers have changed in
terms of what they want from a golf experience,” she said earlier
this year at the West Michigan Golf Show. “And obviously, the
economy has changed.”
Blythefield CC, like all private clubs, has battled through
membership issues — as in not enough members. Butcher reports
progress has been made, however, and she credits a better
understanding of what members want from the country club
experience. “We’ve aimed at families, tried to make things more
fun, and we’ve been open to suggestions,” she says.
Watermark CC
Rumors … and Refinancing
Golf across West Michigan was varied in terms of success.
Holland Country Club disappeared — sold for housing development. Grand Island Golf Ranch, once a busy 27-hole public
course, is fenced off and surrounded by weeds. It was sold for
development, like three other area public courses in recent years.
Rumors ran rampant regarding private clubs. Doors were supposed to be closing at several places, but most clubs have managed
to work out financial agreements with banks, called on members
for more funds, or simply reorganized.
Egypt Valley CC’s Fred Cahall, the president, says the club recently signed an agreement with its bank to fend off financial troubles,
and new plans are being implemented.
“We are designing a business model that takes advantage of what
we have to offer,” Cahall says. “No other club in this area has what
we have — two great golf courses. We are going to compete in price
and services in a way that allows us to attract more members.”
photograph courtesy of watermark cc.
Feature
10/27/09 2:02:11 PM
Feature
Golfers have changed in terms of
what they want from a golf
experience. And obviously, the
economy has changed.”
— Blythefield CC’s Patti Butcher
west michigan
CC), and is making good on promised major construction and
improvements. The private golf/public restaurant model is
being put in place there, too.
The Watermark group also made a successful offer to do the
same at Sunnybrook CC in the Jenison/Hudsonville area.
Says Steve Plakmayer of the Watermark group: “Instead of
having to pay more in membership dues to subsidize the members-only food and beverage operation, the members actually
photograph courtesy of candlestone resort.
Candlestone Resort
Proactive Expansion
Thousand Oaks GC started this year (its 10th year in business)
by adding a $5.5 million, 13,000-square-foot clubhouse expansion, to turn the high-end public venue into what its management calls a “hybrid” golf facility of the future. “We are doing
both, being the same great public golf facility and a private club
with banquet facilities for weddings, meetings, gatherings,”
says Gary Smithson, the director of golf.
Public play, which has drawn as many as 24,000 rounds in
previous years, continues, and 90 members have been added in
the last two years. The goal is to secure 250 to 300 members,
who enjoy some separate facilities. The newly expanded restaurant and bar remain open to the public.
“We are being proactive in this,” Smithson says. “Our owners
think this is what golf has to become in the future.”
New owners at Candlestone Resort in Belding, home of
the West Michigan Amateur, have made good on $1 million in
improvements since purchasing the course last year.
Steve Leach of Rockford, one of the three new owners, is
excited about what the resort can become. “We want to be
something different for a lot of different types of golfers with
different amounts of money.”
Blurring the Public/Private Border
Watermark CC in Cascade offers private golf, swimming, and
health club options, while also having a public, high-profile
restaurant. The Watermark ownership group purchased Crystal
Springs CC from a bank last year (and renamed it StoneWater
receive a discount off their food and beverage purchases.”
The Highlands, a once-private Donald Ross design on the
west side of Grand Rapids, went semiprivate two years ago, and
reports it is doing well with a mix of public and private play.
Meanwhile, Railside CC in nearby Byron Center was all set to
go semiprivate as well. But member Jim Engen stepped up and
purchased the club to keep it private. He also plans to improve
the club’s facilities and lower fees to attract new members.
Location, Location
Reports have been fairly positive in much of the southwest.
Diamond Springs, priced right from the beginning, remains
popular. Hawkshead, The Ravines, and others continue to draw
golfers, too. Chicagoans who summer in Michigan still consider
the rates on this side of the lake preferable to those they find
closer to home.
The strictly public golf facilities in West Michigan are surviving, but clearly not thriving. Outings numbers are taking
hits. Walk-up golf has been fairly steady, although coupons, discounts and specials at several places might be the reason.
“It’s a challenge,” says Terry Sack, general manager at Grand
Valley State’s The Meadows. “I can’t speak for everybody else,
but we’re doing our best to offer what we’ve always offered —
and more — at a fair price. I wouldn’t say we’re thriving, and I
wouldn’t say we’re just surviving. We’re somewhere in between
— hoping the economy and jobs get better.”
Greg Johnson covers golf for the Grand Rapids Press.
19
10/27/09 2:02:25 PM
Feature
mid-michigan report
Eagle Eye/Hawk Hollow
Survival Means Taking New Approaches
by tom lang
Mixed Bag for Privates
Many private clubs struggle in a bad economy because they
have fewer members to support any debt they are carrying.
Walnut Hills CC was purchased by a private group. Potential
changes include enhancing the pool and adding recreation and
dining amenities, plus expansion or new construction for a spa
and fitness area.
On the other side of the coin, Ann Arbor’s Barton Hills CC was
approached by enough prospective members that they hired a
part-time new membership coordinator.
“People aren’t traveling as much as they used to, so they are
focusing back toward a club situation, as opposed to the big
trips or a second house up north,” says General Manager Corey
Gerhart.
20
Despite maintaining 20,000 rounds of golf each year, Barton
Hills still has economic factors to deal with.
“We felt the effects of the economy, mostly in the dining part
of our business,” just like the general restaurant business is experiencing slowdowns, too, Gerhart adds.
Nearby, at Washtenaw CC — one of Michigan’s oldest facilities, dating back to 1899 — it’s a different story. There was talk
of Washtenaw Community College acquiring the club, but that
fell through. At press time, there were reports that nearby Polo
Fields G&CC may buy the club.
Riverside CC in Battle Creek took an interesting approach
to solving a cash-flow problem — and increased their pool of
potential new members at the same time.
Instead of having to levy an assessment, the club began a “Pay
photograph courtesy of hawk hollow.
The state of the golf economy across Michigan’s midsection seems to be a matter of perspective.
Partially isolated from the devastating woes of the automobile industry, mid-Michigan — especially near Lansing and Ann Arbor,
with their major educational institutions — doesn’t appear to be suffering as bad of an economic blow. Its unemployment rate is
2 percentage points better than statewide numbers.
Some golf courses from Ann Arbor to Battle Creek and north to Mount Pleasant are doing surprisingly well — but again, it depends
on one’s perspective. Others feel it’s a struggle in historical comparison to the “grand old days” of a decade earlier.
10/27/09 2:03:33 PM
Feature
mid-michigan report
Bucking the Trend
Not everyone is scaling back or seeing reduced traffic. In the Jackson area, Calderone Farms is building a new clubhouse.
At Arbor Hills GC, rounds are growing since the private club
became public in 2007. The first year, Arbor Hills recorded about
10,000 rounds, and some 20,000 this year. “There was pent-up
demand to play a course that had been private for 90 years,” says
Cutting Costs … and Prices
General Manger Bob Tillard. “We kept up that demand by keeping
Further north in Mount Pleasant, courses like The PohlCat
up the quality and condition of the course.”
experienced a tougher year than hoped.
The Eagle Eye and Hawk Hollow complex in Bath is meeting
Manager Neil Patera says rounds were down, but net income
expectations, staying “economically balanced” in part by booking
remained flat, in part due to watching pennies on “day-to-day
almost 300 weddings each year. But what surprised General Manexpenses” to cut costs on utilities like phones, going to lowager Alex Coss was that the highest growing revenue percentage
energy light bulbs, and cutting back on air conditioner use.
came from the mini-putting course, Little Hawk.
“You’d be surprised how much it adds up.”
“There are more non-golfers that play the Little Hawk course
He adds: “Our focus is the customer’s perceived value. In
than there are golfers,” Coss says. “On a Friday and Saturday
times like this you don’t want to
night, it’s wall-to-wall people.”
slack on service or quality. The key
In the Battle Creek area, the August
is to not have knee-jerk reactions.”
opening of Firekeepers Casino
The Emerald in St. Johns raised
sparked interest. One course that
rack rates in ’09 by 8 percent (that’s
expects to benefit from the relationstill $3 less than its 2000 rate). Web
ship is The Medalist, a facility that
site and e-mail club discounts were
has already done well.
a big hit. Overall rounds were up
“We set a record last year for most
10 percent. Season passes were up
revenue ever,” says Manager Lowell
25 percent, as General Manager Jay
Weaver. “We’re up 3 percent over
Eccleton dropped costs for golfers
last year. In a flat economy, that’s
who lived 25 miles or more from
pretty good.”
the course.
Weaver gives full credit to the
Barton Hills CC
Eccleton is concerned that if golf
2004 ownership change to Osprey
decisions all boil down to price,
Recreational Properties, which
everyone will suffer. “You’d be
built a new banquet facility for the
People aren’t traveling
amazed how many calls we answer
12-year-old property.
as much as they used to,
(25-50) per day fielding price checks,”
“You still have to be creative in this
he says. “They don’t care about the
environment; you can’t stick with the
so they are focusing back
amenities or the quality of the course,
status quo,” Weaver adds. “We expect
toward a club situation ...” to see another increase in rounds simply
they just want the price. That hurts golf
— Barton Hills CC’s Corey Gerhart
overall, as quality will soon follow and
because of Firekeepers Casino.”
diminish.”
College Fields in Okemos set out to
Michigan’s Newest Course?
cut 20 percent from its labor budget. Director of Operations
Perhaps the area’s best feel-good golf story is taking place on a
Carey Mitchelson says they were able to trim 23 percent, and
small parcel of land not far from Eagle Eye.
that a cooler summer also helped. Courses statewide needed
Retired civil engineer John Kazenko, age 80, and his son, Doug,
less irrigation and less fertilizer — and battled few heat stress
have been hand-carving and nurturing their acreage into a golf
issues.
course for the past 15 years. After building highways for MDOT,
“We have zero overtime, which is almost impossible,”
“I just needed something to do to keep busy,” Kazenko says.
Mitchelson says. “The cart staff used to be on in the mornKirkside GC will open the front nine next spring; 18 holes
ing and stay until closing. Now they come in the afternoon to
would have been ready if not for an irrigation problem detected
handle leagues, and stay until evening. Everyone pitches in to
a few years ago that required re-digging 500 sprinkler heads.
do work they might not otherwise.”
Graham Cooke, a Canadian architect and an MSU golfer 40 years
College Fields’ rounds were up about 15 percent from ’08,
ago, designed the course.
due to an increase in college students playing and overall faster
play. Mitchelson cleared out some tight landing areas so golfers
Tom Lang is a freelance writer who covers golf for the Detroit Free Press,
could play faster and fit in more rounds.
Lansing State Journal, and other publications.
Forecaddie
photograph courtesy of barton hills cc.
it Forward” program. According to Golf Professional Paul Hawkins, members who paid their yearly dues ahead of time could
invite two people to become “trial” members for 2009.
“This allowed us to showcase our facility to all these new people,” Hawkins says. “The jury is still out, but I believe we’re going
to retain a larger percentage of them than what we estimated.”
21
10/27/09 2:03:50 PM
Feature
upper peninsula report
Weather Takes Edge Off Growing Reputation
by dennis grall
While unemployment rates rose slightly in Michigan
during the summer, the rate actually fell 0.7 percent
in the Upper Peninsula, to 12.3 percent, as seasonal
workers returned to their jobs.
But weather conditions made a big impact in 2009 — bigger,
perhaps, than the wretched economy. Despite that doublewhammy, golfers still flocked to the northwoods.
“Most people that come here come for the quality of the
golf course,” says Joe Rizzo, first-year pro at Iron Mountain’s
TimberStone Golf Course. “This is a unique experience they can’t
get anywhere else.”
photograph courtesy of timberstone golf course.
Packages Sweeten the Deal
TimberStone, a two-time recipient of the prestigious five-star
ranking from Golf Digest magazine, banded together with two
other nationally ranked courses, Sweetgrass Golf Club in Harris
and Greywalls Golf Course in Marquette, to create a package deal
timed nicely for the economic crunch.
Billboards publicizing the package were placed along major
highways in Wisconsin and Michigan. The “Pure Michigan” campaign has also attracted out-of-state visitors.
“The three-course package has been great for us, it really did get
us through what could have been a very difficult time,” says Rizzo.
“The package deal has helped,” agrees Marc Gilmore, golf professional at Greywalls. “Local stay-and-plays have helped, and we
have been in some pretty dynamic publications (including appearing on the cover of Golfweek). That helped traffic.”
TimberStone GC
the weather we’ve had,” says Rob Lussenhup, golf professional at
Wild Bluff.
Dave Douglas, director of golf at Sweetgrass, agrees. “We
rarely had days in the 70s through mid-July,” he says. “Every
month, play increased. We didn’t know what to expect. It is still
a feeling-out period,” he says of the relatively new course.
Greywalls felt the pinch, too. Gilmore indicated play was
reduced 20-25 percent because of the weather, but income
still exceeded the budget by 22-23 percent. “A really good year
(weather-wise) would have been unbelievable,” he says.
Growing Reputation, Lower Prices
Rizzo says the U.P. courses are frequently
The word is out. The U.P. Living on Tourism
compared with high-profile tracks in
Wisconsin (Whistling Straits, The Bog,
Despite the Upper Peninsula’s relative
is not as far away as
The Bull) and lower Michigan.
golfers still shook off their
people think. There is a remoteness,
“Even compared to those places, we are
financial concerns to help fill tee sheets.
pot of gold at the end of
a much lower rate and, we feel, a greater
Tourists from Kentucky and Texas
value. I think the word is out, the U.P. is
recorded aces at Sweetgrass. An eightthe rainbow.”
not as far away as people think. There is a
member group from Alaska visited Grey— TimberStone’s Joe Rizzo
pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”
walls this year.
Solid reputations of area courses, includ
Wild Bluff draws golf and gaming
ing the Golf Digest 4.5-star Wild Bluff Golf Course and Casino in
groups from the Detroit area, Mount Pleasant, Saginaw/Bay
Brimley, George Young Resort near Iron River, and Lac Vieux
City, and Sudbury, Ont. “People are still traveling,” says LussenDesert Resort Casino in Watersmeet, helped weather the economhup. “We’ve been packed. We do a thousand rounds just out of
ic storm.
Sudbury.”
None of the major courses made cutbacks on maintenance or
Lussenhup is looking forward to next year. “I have entire weekhelp. “We have to make sure we maintain the same level,” says Rizends that are already sold out,” he says. “If the economy is off,
zo. “We try to maintain expenses but also maintain our reputation.”
people are still going to travel; they just might not travel to faraway destinations. They’ll take their RV, drive four to five hours,
A Stormy Start
and play golf and do some gaming.”
Weather definitely hurt early in the season. “I would assume the
Dennis Grall is the sports editor of the Escanaba Daily Press.
economy impacts [golf], but it is hard to tell this summer with
22
10/27/09 2:04:14 PM
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Feature the buick open
Big
Finish
Billy Casper (right)
nabs a Buick in 1958.
buick open leaves
a lasting legacy
by vartan kupelian
For more than a half-century, the
Buick Open was a mainstay on the
PGA Tour calendar.
The tournament’s creators and
organizers were ahead of the game.
Buick became golf’s first corporate
sponsor in 1958, and the wisdom of
that action has been confirmed time
and again. At one point or another,
pretty much every auto manufacturer
on the globe became involved with
golf sponsorship.
The Buick Open has departed the PGA
Tour schedule, but it won’t soon be forgotten — not in these parts, and not across
the country. At its peak, Buick was the title
sponsor of four PGA Tour stops, and the
presenting sponsor of a fifth in one season.
The Buick Open had become an important
piece of the fabric that made Michigan one
of golf ’s great destinations for both professional and recreational golf.
In addition to providing outstanding
tournaments and renowned champions,
the Buick Open raised more than $11 million for local charities since 1982.
Here is a look at the Buick Open’s “Great
Eight” at Warwick Hills Golf and Country
Club — memories and the personalities
that made it a truly special sporting event
in Michigan history.
Casper as its first titleholder.
Casper is one of golf’s greatest ever. He’s
a major champion — the U.S. Open in
1959 and 1966, and the Masters in 1970
— and won a combined 60 events on the
PGA Tour (51) and the Champions Tour
between 1956 and 1989.
The 1958 Buick Open was the fourth
victory in Casper’s career. The purse of
$52,000 was the largest ever on the PGA
Tour. Casper’s share was $9,000. Casper
won by one stroke over a young lad named
Arnold Palmer. Already, the Buick Open had
established itself as the home of champions.
Billy the Kid (1958)
Without a beginning, there can be no
end. The Buick Open started in 1958 at
Warwick Hills. What elevates any competition is the caliber of its champions, and
the Buick Open hit the jackpot with Billy
Champagne Tony (1964-1965)
Tony Lema’s golf talents were surpassed
only by his charm, quick wit, and smile.
When he won a tournament, Lema served
Champagne to the press.
Lema won back-to-back Buick Opens in
24
1964 and 1965. The second victory made
him the first two-time champion at Warwick Hills. The Oakland, Calif., native was a
rising star when he and his wife were killed
in 1966 when their chartered twin-engine
aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed on the
seventh hole of a golf course in Lansing, Ill.
The Playoff (1981)
How about a four-man playoff for an
exciting finish? That’s what the Buick
Open provided in 1981.
Hale Irwin was the man to catch after an
opening 65 — a Buick Open first-round
record at that time. But Peter Jacobsen, Gil
Morgan, and Bobby Clampett closed the
gap over the next two rounds and finally
caught Irwin, all shooting 11-under-par
277 through 72 holes.
A playoff birdie by Irwin at the 17th
gave him the victory — and here’s an
24_buickopen.indd 1
10/27/09 2:05:09 PM
round by the eventual winner of a tournament. He also set the Buick Open record of
195 for 54 holes.
By now, the first-prize money had soared
to $108,000 — a major chunk of the Wake
Forest star’s $1.4 million career total.
Ben Crenshaw was a
fan favorite in 1986.
interesting historical tidbit: During that
playoff the 17th hole began what would
become a lengthy tradition as one of the
PGA Tour’s most raucous spots. Irwin’s
birdie was greeted with a thunderous
reception, and the decibel levels continued
to grow in coming years.
Gentle Ben’s Magic Putter (1986)
If you’re counting popular victories, few
surpass what Ben Crenshaw achieved at the
1986 Buick Open.
He’d always been a fan favorite and
arrived on tour heralded as the next great
golfer, the next Jack Nicklaus. Crenshaw
had a magical putting stroke — still does
— and his pleasant demeanor earned him
the nickname “Gentle Ben.”
In 1986, the purse reached the
$500,000 mark for the first time. Crenshaw’s share was $90,000 for holding off
J.C. Snead and Doug Tewell by 1 shot with
four rounds in the 60s.
Robert Who? (1987)
A little-known professional from Austin,
Texas, turned PGA Tour scoring records
upside-down at the 1987 Buick Open.
Robert Wrenn put together four recordsetting rounds. His 26-under, 262 total
came within 1 stroke of tying Ben Hogan
and 1960 Buick Open winner Mike
Souchak for the lowest four-round score in
history. Wrenn’s 63 was the lowest second
Boom Boom (1994)
The tournament featured two watershed
moments: Fred Couples’ victory and the
return to competition by Paul Azinger,
who was stricken by cancer less than a
year before, soon after winning the PGA
Championship at Toledo’s Inverness Club.
Couples himself was returning to the
PGA Tour after being sidelined with a
back injury. Rain forced cancellation of
Thursday’s opening round, so Couples,
bad back and all, faced a 36-hole Sunday.
He shot 65-68 for a 270 total and 2-stroke
victory over Corey Pavin. In both Sunday
rounds, Couples made eagle 3 at the 13th
hole. In all, he made eagle at the 13th three
times in four rounds.
Tiger Woods won
three Buick Opens.
The Tiger Era (1997-2006)
The Tiger Woods era began in 1997 (his
first full season on tour) and included
his appearance at the Buick Open a few
months after his historic victory at The
Masters. Woods tied for eighth behind
winner Vijay Singh at Warwick Hills.
Woods played in the Buick Open nine
times, winning titles in 2002, 2006, and
in the finale in 2009. The 2006 victory
Champagne Tony Lema captured
back-to-back Buick Opens.
was the 50th in his career and was celebrated by Buick, whose officials presented
Woods with a cake in addition to the trophy and a check for $864,000.
In six appearances beginning in 2002,
Woods won the Buick Open three times,
tied for second twice, and tied for third
once. Only once did he fail to finish in the
top 10 — he tied for 11th in 2000.
Kenny Perry’s Comeback (2001)
This Buick Open represented the rebirth of
a career. Kenny Perry, winless in six years
since the 1995 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic,
broke through with his fourth career victory. He outdueled Chris DiMarco and Jim
Furyk, a perennial contender at Warwick
Hills, down the stretch to win by 2
strokes. Perry shot 66-64-64-69—263.
Perry used the victory as a springboard
to a great second career. He went from a
journeyman to a star. He added another
Buick Open crown in 2008, and he was a
leader of the United States’ winning Ryder
Cup effort in his native Kentucky two
months after winning the Buick Open.
The other highlight of 2001 was Billy
Mayfair’s PGA Tour record-setting performance in the final round. Mayfair had
a back-nine 27 — that’s 9-under — for a
closing 61.
Vartan Kupelian is a former sports columnist for
The Detroit News.
24_buickopen.indd 2
25
10/27/09 2:05:26 PM
know the game
Getting Off the Cart Path
Rules for Taking Relief by jeanne myers
The first step in taking relief is to
determine what club the player would
have used for the next shot if the cart
path hadn’t been there.
Assuming it is a short shot, the player
will probably use some sort of wedge.
Taking the wedge in hand, the player
should take a stance off the path (taking
complete relief) assuming an address
position and place a tee in the ground
where the clubface hits the ground.
That is “a point of relief.” In other
words, if the ball lay there, there would
have been no interference with either the
lie, the stance or the swing. The player
will probably have to do this on the
other side of the path, as well. The tee
closest to the ball, which should still be
lying on the path, is the “nearest point of
relief.”
The player now gets to drop the ball
within one club-length of the “nearest
point of relief.” This club-length may be
measured with any club in his bag.
Many golfers erroneously believe that
because a ball may lie toward the right
side of a path, the relief will be on the
right side. This is incorrect. Many factors
come into play here. For example, the
result of the procedure above will result
in an entirely different “nearest point”
for a left-handed golfer. The curvature
of the path and the width of the path
also make it necessary to go through the
above procedure.
A word of caution here — the ball
should always be left where it lies until
the area into which it has to be dropped
26
Find the nearest point of relief that does not interfere with your stance or area of your
intended swing (point B for right-handed golfers; point C is not the nearest point of
relief because the distance A-C is greater than A-B. The nearest point of relief for a
left-handed golfer is point D). Drop your ball within one clublength of point B, no
nearer to the hole (the yellow shaded area). If you don’t like where you are going to
have to drop, you have the option of playing the ball where it came to rest (point A).
is determined. The player may discover
that the area where he is going to have
to drop the ball is knee-high rough, and
he would have been better off playing it
from the cart path. He is entitled to lift
The first step in taking
relief is to determine
what club the player
would have used for the
next shot if the cart path
hadn’t been there.”
the ball to take relief, but if he doesn’t
take relief, he is not entitled to lift the
ball. He will receive a one-stroke penalty
(for lifting his ball in play) if he wishes
to replace the ball on the path and play
from there.
There is one other thing to keep in
mind. There are situations where a
player might be unable to determine the
nearest point of relief. For instance, the
nearest point may be within the trunk
of a tree. In this case, you can “estimate”
the nearest point of relief, then drop the
ball within one clublength from that
estimated point, not nearer the hole.
Fortunately, once you have learned to
do this correctly, you have also learned
the proper procedure for taking relief
from ground under repair, casual water,
and other abnormal ground conditions.
It is all the exact same procedure.
Jeanne Myers is the GAM’s assistant
director of Rules and Competitions.
If your club is interested in hosting a fun
and informative rules seminar, please call
the GAM office at (248) 478-9242, ext 14.
illustration by kyle raetz.
Rules & Etiquette
One commonly misunderstood or misinterpreted procedure happens because
of artificially surfaced cart paths. When
a player’s ball in play lies on a cart path,
or when the player has to stand on the
path, or the path is going to interfere
with his swing, the player is entitled to
relief without penalty under Rule 24-2
(immovable obstruction).
26_Rules.indd 1
10/27/09 2:06:09 PM
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STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP,
MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION
(Required by 39 USC 3685)
Title of Publication: Michigan Links. Publication No. 018-935.
Filing Date: 9/24/09 Frequency of Issue: Quarterly. Number of
Issues Published Annually: Four. Annual Subscription Price:
Not available for subscription. Complete Mailing Address of
Known Office of Publication: Golf Association of Michigan, 24116
Research Drive, Farmington Hills, MI 48335. Contact Person:
Tonia Branch. Telephone: (248) 478-9242. Complete Mailing
Address of the Headquarters of the General Business Offices
of the Publisher: Golf Association of Michigan, 24116 Research
Drive, Farmington Hills, MI 48335. Full Names and Complete
Mailing Addresses of the Publisher, Editor and Managing
Editor: (Publisher) Tonia Branch, Golf Association of Michigan,
24116 Research Drive, Farmington Hills, MI 48335. (Editor)Tonia
Branch, Golf Association of Michigan, 24116 Research Drive,
Farmington Hills, MI 48335. (Managing Editor) Steven Wilke, Hour
Custom Publishing, 117 W. Third St., Royal Oak, MI 48067. Owner:
Golf Association of Michigan, 24116 Research Drive, Farmington
Hills, MI 48335. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other
Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of
Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None.
Tax Status: The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this
organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes
has not changed during the preceding 12 months.
EXTENT AND NATURE OF CIRCULATION
Publication Title: Michigan Links. Issue Date for Circulation
Data Below: July/August 2009. (Average Number of Copies of
Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months listed first, followed by
Actual Number of Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to
Filing Date.) Total Number of Copies: 42,194 and 40,667. Mailed
Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form
3541 (Paid Circulation): 39,503 and 39,169. Mailed In-County
Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541: 0 and 0. Paid
Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales Through
Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales and
Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS: 490 and 475. Paid
Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS
(e.g. First-Class Mail): 0 and 0. Total Paid Distribution: 39,993
and 39,644. Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies
Included on PS Form 3541: 0 and 0. Free or Nominal Rate
In-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541: 0 and 0. Free or
Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other Classes Through the
USPS (e.g. First-Class Mail): 0 and 0. Free or Nominal Rate
Distribution Outside the Mail (Carriers or Other Means):
1,235 and 210. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution: 1,235
and 210. Total Distribution: 41,228 and 39,854. Copies not
Distributed: 966 and 813. Total: 42,194 and 40,667. Percent
Paid: 97.0% and 99.5%. I certify that the statements made by
me are correct and complete: (signed) Tonia Branch.
27_ML1109.indd 1
MICHIGAN
21500 24 Mile Road, Macomb, MI 48042
Phone: 586-421-1769
ATTENTION GAM MEMBERS:
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10/27/09 2:07:43 PM
gowanie golf club
Links to the Past
‘Lost’ Club
A July/August 2009 Michigan Links story celebrating
the GAM’s 90th anniversary listed 14 original clubs,
but we knew the fate of only 13. George Mayernik,
a member of the “lost” club, led us to the answer:
“Riverview” became Gowanie Golf Club, which
celebrates its 100th anniversary next year.
Here’s their story:
In 1910, Thomas Shoemaker built a nine-hole course called Riverview Golf Club on land he had tilled for 35 years near the Clinton
River in Mount Clemens. Perhaps he was tired of farming. Or maybe
he hoped to cash in on the town’s “Bath City” fame, when its mineral waters attracted enough visitors to spur a host of elegant hotels.
The name “Riverview” faded into obscurity after Shoemaker
leased the land to club members around 1920. A Scotsman named
Dave Millar became the golf professional. Millar — credited with
designing Kalamazoo’s highly regarded Milham Park course —
expanded the club to 18 holes in 1922. He dubbed it “Gowanie”
(GOW-nee): roughly translated to “dell of the daisies.”
Ross Axford, who owned a company that built many golf courses
for architect Robert Trent Jones, purchased Gowanie in 1939.
Axford died in 1972, and for years the club was a member-run
nonprofit, leased from his widow.
Financial troubles mounted in the early 2000s. In 2001, Kathy
and Wayne Babbish — club members since 1991 — brought it out
of bankruptcy. “We couldn’t imagine it being turned into condos,”
says Kathy. “We decided to jump in and keep her going!”
28
Gowanie through the decades: (above left) “Stag Day” 1949;
(top) The 1968 Yearbook; (above) “Scenes On Gowanie Golf
Course” is taken from a July 1928 Nellis News article called
“Pageant of Progress.”
The going wasn’t easy. A mere 90 members remained after the
bankruptcy dust settled — up considerably today with the addition
of younger, intermediate, and social members (but like most private clubs, they could use more). Another setback occurred in 2007
when fire gutted the old clubhouse. It was rebuilt in 2008.
Gowanie remains a hidden jewel — tucked away on nearly 100
acres off of I-94. The home course for Grosse Pointe South and
Regina high schools, it also boasts a strong junior program.
While it’s relatively short (6,398 yards), Gowanie’s fast and true
greens and narrow fairways are a test. The club has hosted U.S.
Open qualifiers and numerous GAM qualifiers; very few contestants
break par.
Gowanie prides itself on being strictly a golf club — no pool, no
tennis. “It’s a friendly community of people who get the heart of
this truly special place,” says Kathy.
There are longstanding members (some since the 1950s), as well
as staff. Paul Prigel, the golf professional, and his brother Mark, the
locker room manager, grew up at Gowanie. Their parents worked
here; a third generation (Paul’s son) works in the pro shop.
Adding to the idea that people don’t want to leave Gowanie:
There’s a rumored ghost named “Rosemary” — perhaps a former
“schoolmarm” who lived in a house that served as Gowanie’s first
clubhouse. “We blame her when we can’t find things,” Kathy says.
— Steve Wilke
photographs courtesy gowanie golf club. news clipping courtesy macomb county.
Found
28_Links Past.indd 1
10/27/09 2:07:06 PM
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Michigan Golf 2009 - Golf Association of Michigan

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