Birdies And Beauty At Wild Marsh Golf Club
Off the top of my head I can’t think of a more appropriately named golf course than Wild Marsh. The natural wetlands at this Buffalo, Minnesota track have been perfectly worked into a splendid course design that brings plenty of those wet carries, natural bird habitat and stunning scenery right to your golf cart window.
A First-Class Ride At Riverwood National Golf Course
Golf tends to pride itself on retaining an old world charm even in the face of the annual onslaught of technology that equipment manufacturers bring to our doorstep. Granted, there is honor in adhering to the traditional values which have their roots deep in the Scottish Middle Ages but… why not make life a little more comfortable?
A Hidden Gem At Heritage Links
Situated in the big sky, rolling landscape around Lakeville lies a gem of a course. The Heritage Links Golf Club often gets overlooked among the collection of high profile courses in this corner of the Twin Cities, but that is about to change.
Whispering Pines Golf Course – The Comeback Kid
The author of this particular comeback story is Mark Dvorak, and he started writing the comeback story of Whispering Pines Golf Course in Annandale seven years ago. How is it going now? “It’s going great,” Mark says.
Old World Charm – The Links At Northfork
Vast stretches of fescue, large waste bunkers, serpentine fairways, long carries and undulated green complexes. News flash – The Links at Northfork has been bringing this type of golf for years!
Pebble Creek Golf Club – A Stone’s Throw Away
Many locals, with enough firsthand experience to know, insist Pebble has more character than several TOUR stops. The difference is, people outside of Minnesota don’t know about Pebble Creek, which only leaves more tee times for the rest of us.
History Marches On At Les Bolstad Golf Course
There are a handful of blue-chip historic courses across the greater Twin Cities area and the University of Minnesota Les Bolstad Golf Course is certainly in that league. Having morphed and reinvented itself several times since opening as a nine-hole course in 1915.
At The End Of My Days, I Want To Come Back A Caddie
Many of us started playing this game caddying either for a parent, family member, friend, or a complete stranger who hopefully tipped you well! Or at minimum gave you a few life long stories!
The Wilds Golf Club – Realizing Their Potential
If a change can do you good, then several changes should make you really good, right? The Wilds Golf Club is primed to find out. Head Golf Professional Scott Reuter is an ambitious man, and success has followed him throughout his golf management career.
Stairway To Deer Run Golf Club
At Deer Run Golf Club, there is a clear sense that someone has their eye on the big picture and someone has an eye on the small details. You notice it as you pull into the well-organized layout, make your way up to the clean clubhouse and check in for what is about to become a truly first-class golf outing.
POWER PLAYERS – A “Golf Profile” Series PHOTOGRAPHERS Brian Oar and Evan Schiller
PEOPLE move the needle in golf, from property developers to the course architects and the people who play them, BUT… people like me won’t move far to play a course lacking good photography on its website.
Pin IN Or OUT?
Of all the rules changes for 2019, the most controversial and I believe the least understood is the ability to keep the pin in while you putt.
Music On Golf Carts
I can’t believe that I’m taking on this subject. Not that I’m afraid to say how I feel… it’s that I’m really conflicted about music on golf carts.
If I Was… An Injured (Old) Golfer
Even though I am a card-carrying member of the AARP (hey don’t mock it… the discounts are awesome), I really don’t like to admit I am getting older.
Prize Money On TOUR… Something Is Wrong!
The Psychic is getting ready for bed, but his mind is troubled. As he tosses his, now three-year-old, Ryder Cup logo golf shirt into the laundry basket, his mind flashes back to the Ryder Cup. The crowds. The drama. The celebration. The atmosphere.
The Corner Office With Jeff Keating (Stillwater Oaks Golf Course)
This month we feature Jeff Keating, General Manager and Head Pro at Stillwater Oaks Golf Course. Jeff shares his take on the game, a bucket full of humor and enough wisdom to last us another year.
Minnesota Senior PGA Professional Championship
Bill Israelson of Vintage Golf Course had two nearly bogey-free rounds to win his sixth Minnesota Senior PGA Professional Championship on Wednesday, August 14 at Island View Golf Club in Waconia, Minnesota.
Minnesota PGA Junior Golf ‘Sota Series 2019 Players Tour Players Of The Year
The Minnesota PGA Junior Golf ‘Sota Series is proud to recognize its Players Tour Players of the Year Shelby Busker of Detroit Lakes and Carter Doose of St. Peter.
POWER PLAYERS – A “Golf Profile” Series CADDIES
PEOPLE move the needle in golf, from visionary developers like Mike Keiser to architects like Jeff Brauer and players like you and me. But non-players like caddies can be just as important to game development—carving their own niche in the sport, making the game easier on the high end resort and PGA Tour level.
3M Open Recap
Much needed to change in and around the inaugural 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities. From course design to player security, from a free event to a paid event, almost everything about this event was different from the prior PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS event the 3M Championship.
Pace Of Play/Pre-Shot Routine
While incidences of slow play on the PGA TOUR are a concern because of the trickle-down effect that it has on everyday play, slow play in the amateur game and at your local golf course is a major hindrance to the game of golf.
Practice Like A Trial Lawyer
“Practice like a trial lawyer” means that the attorney’s job is to gather and discover evidence one way or the other about his/her client and the incident that caused them to “get together” in the first place.
It’s All About Speed
There are three elements when looking at putting; direction, distance control, and green reading. Of the three, distance control is the most important.
Divots Can Tell You Everything
Are you aware of the four primary Ball Flight Laws? If you decided to change careers and become a PGA Professional, you’d have to for a passing grade. Without this understanding, I believe that golf instruction would still be a primitive art and certainly not a science.
Improving Your Approach
According to Peter Sanders, golf statistician and founder of www.ShotByShot.com the average golfer (15-19 handicap) will have 20 approach shots per round. These approach shots are shots that are hit from 51 yards or more from.
Does Your Improvement Puzzle Have Too Many Pieces?
How many pieces did your first childhood jigsaw puzzle have? I’ve seen them in toy stores with as few as 4 pieces. How many pieces were in the puzzles you bought as you got older and became an adult? More? Why?
Data Driven At Club Champion
Swinging like a PGA TOUR Player probably isn’t going to happen for 99% of us, but if Club Champion has any say in it, we will all be given the best chance possible.
Turning Four Shots Into Three
You always hear that short game is the easiest way to lower your scores and if you look at it statistically, it truly is. According to golf statistician Peter Sanders, founder of Shot by Shot players who shot in the 90’s on average, hitting less than five greens in regulation and save par from off of the green less than 20% of the time.
SWING LIKE A “10”
From an early age, we become aware of the “rating” scale of 1-10. It has been used in everything from attractiveness to truthfulness. “On a scale of 1-10…” How can you use this scale for your golf development?
Choosing The Correct Tee
Golf is always a lot more fun when we play well and shoot a good score. One of the reasons long hitters have an advantage in the game is that they are hitting shorter clubs into greens.
From Spritzers To Sangrias
Everyone needs a good sangria and/or spritzer recipe for the summer, am I right?
Perfect Pairings For The ‘Dog Days Of Summer’
Sure beer is pretty easy to match up with most things that come off the grill. But wine, on the other hand, always seems a bit more complicated for some folks to match up with those summer cookouts.
Dad’s Day Bevis
As we head into the month of June, and our weather finally turns true to its season, we know we can prepare to gear up for a few things – more time for grilling outside and more libations for pairing!
Going Green
Everywhere you turn these days, producers from every label are touting ‘organic’. From cereal to mac n cheese, wine, and into the world of liquor. But have we really ever stopped to think about what all of this labeling really means?
Don’t Ignore The Reds When The Temps Rise
For most, nothing screams summer and spring like a crisp, refreshing glass of white wine – am I right? We live in Minnesota, so it’s fair to say that it gets pretty darn cold in the winter time.
Beyond Chardonnay And Pinot Grigio
According to the country’s most recent wine industry reports, Americans really only consume approximately four grapes. Considering there are over 10,000 varieties of wine grapes in the world, we have a considerable way to go before we can begin to categorize ourselves oenophiles.
Going Green
Everywhere you turn these days, producers from every label are touting ‘organic’. From cereal to mac n cheese, wine, and into the world of liquor. But have we really ever stopped to think about what all of this labeling really means?
Perfectly Pairing Your ‘Reds’
It should come as no surprise that the instinctive wine choice for a mouthwatering pan seared or perfectly grill marked steak hot off the grill is red, but have you ever truly analyzed the exact choice of red grape when pairing to your favorite cuts of meat? I
Golfers And Wine – A Perfect Blend
As many know we are fortunate to be hosting the 2016 matches of the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National and the U.S. team is captained by golf professional, Davis Love III. A gentleman that not only shares great passion for the game of golf, but of another subject that happens to be quite near and dear to my own profession and passions, wine.
King’s Walk Golf Course – Royal Fun
I can’t say I’d walk 300 miles to play The King’s course in Grand Forks, North Dakota, but I’d certainly drive it (again). I wish I lived even closer, but four and a half easy hours of interstate is all that separates the Twin Cities golfer from North Dakota’s only Arnold Palmer Signature Course.
Hawktree Golf Club – Better To Be Lucky
How often do you realize your dreams? Depends on the dream I guess. A dream to me might not be a dream to you, and vice versa, but it was always a dream of mine to play Hawktree Golf Club in Bismarck, North Dakota until I realized it.
MEDORA, NORTH DAKOTA & BULLY PULPIT GOLF COURSE – Explore It. Adore It.
Ely is the gateway to the Boundary Waters. Estes Park is surrounded by Rocky Mountain National Park and Medora… well… Medora just might be the most unique small town in America.
Destination Extraordinaire – The Resort at Pelican Hill
From the moment you pass through the vaulted lobby for that first look at the Pacific, The Resort at Pelican Hill is calling for your attention. What is found spread out below you is the stunning, infinity designed Coliseum pool in all its Italian Renaissance splendor.
Island Resort & Casino From Sweet To Sage
Island Resort & Casino in Harris, Michigan doesn’t just have a BRAND NEW course at Sage Run (opening in full this Spring), and it doesn’t just have another course that’s an annual contender for “Best in State” at Sweetgrass.
Tournament Club Of Iowa – The King Reigns On
I miss Arnold Palmer, and how could I not. Meeting him, listening to him, watching him… each opportunity left me wanting more opportunities. I have similar feelings when I play golf courses I love.
Otter Creek Golf Course – Otter This World Fun
2019 marks the 10 year anniversary of my first visit to Otter Creek – not anything for the world to celebrate, by any means, but something I marvel at, just as you might looking back on your own golf travel history.
Amana Colonies Golf Club – Emerging Target
Not all golf courses like to be considered a “hidden gem.” It implies, somehow, that you have to really dig to find the value. In that instance, Amana Colonies is NOT a hidden gem. Its value is blatantly obvious.
ALOHA FROM KAUAI Home Of The Ultimate Golf Trip At Jurassic Park Country Club
The Island of Kauai, where Jurassic Park and other Hollywood blockbusters were filmed, is a wonderland filled with tropical treasures. The island contains more golf courses than you can play in a week.
MEDORA, North Dakota – Explore It. Adore It.
It’s a trip you have to take… at least once. At least twice. It’s a place you have to spend a night… at least one. Okay, at least two. Really, at least three. Medora may geographically, for all intents and purposes, be in Montana, but it’s also a lot closer than you would think to the Twin Cities.
