2013 Golf Guide

CENTRAL ILLINOISCENTRAL ILLINOIS

GolfGolfGuideGuide

6Pros helpPros helpget yourget yourgame game

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Complete golf Complete golf directory fordirectory forall the areaall the areacoursescourses

GolfGolfetiquetteetiquette

Tips onTips oncollegecollege

recruitmentrecruitment

AdviceAdvicefor youngfor young

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Plan yourPlan yourgetawaygetaway

20511246

PAGE 2 CENTRAL ILLINOIS GOLF GUIDE

20510360

CENTRAL ILLINOIS GOLF GUIDE PAGE 3

INSIDE

Golf etiquette 101 ..........................................Page 4

Golf courses weather drought ........................Page 6

Pro tips on fairway woods and long irons ........Page 9

College recruitment ....................................Page 10

Pro tips to improve your short game ..............Page 12

Getaway with a golf vacation ........................Page 13

Pro tips on club selection ............................Page 14

Signature Cup preview ..................................Page 15

Pro tips to fix your swing ..............................Page 17

Pro tips on handling stress ..........................Page 18

Advice for young golfers ..............................Page 19

Pro tips on bunker shots ..............................Page 21

Golf directory ........................................Page 22-25

Pro watch ....................................................Page 26

Lee News Service/STEVE SMEDLEY

Above: Christian Crabill of Mount Zion blasts out of a sandtrap on the ninth hole during opening play of the IHSA Class 2A State Final Golf Tournament

at Illinois State University's D.A.Weibring Golf Course in Normal in 2012. On the cover: Eisenhower High School senior Savannah Myers hits a shot

onto the third fairway during the state championship in 2012 in Decatur. Photo by Lee News Service/Mark Roberts.

By Jim [email protected]

Golfers know (or shouldknow) what birdie, par or bogeymean. They also are familiarwith tees, greens and bunkers.

Yet mention the word “eti-quette” and many think you’respeaking French.

In its most basic form, “eti-quette”” means being consid-erate of those on the course andunderstanding the basic rules ofthe game.

Often, the best golfers are theworst culprits. They think theycan do whatever they wantwithout regard to other golfers.That won’t make you anyfriends, and will give you plentyof enemies.

Here are some basic tips, sortof a “Rules on the Road” fordrivers that are easy to followand should make your roundstress-free and more enjoyable.

Be ready when it’s your turn:One of the most common faultsis someone hitting a shot andthe next golfer waiting about aminute before hitting.

“If you’re in a foursome, youdon’t want three people watch-ing one person hit,” said Iron-wood Golf Course professionalCraig Onsrud. “People whoplay the fastest are almost, in away, out there playing by them-selves but are staying out of theway of the people in theirgroup.”

Weibring Golf Club at IllinoisState professional LauraProvost said “the old chip andchat” won’t win you manyfriends.

“You stand there chat, chat,chat and you’re not ready whenit’s your turn,” she said. “As longas you’re not in danger in movingforward to your ball, walk for-ward, go and don’t wait.”


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Etiquette should be par for the course

Lee News Service/LORI ANN COOK-NEISLER

Mike Cushing, right, talks to Will Cullen about his shot out of the bunker

during the Bloomington-Normal Match Play Championship at Illinois

State University's D.A.Weibring Golf Course. You can’t hit the sand with a

practice swing in a bunker. If you do, it’s a one-stroke penalty.SEE ETIQUETTE / PAGE 5

Use the correct tees: Most courses haveat least three sets of tees available that cor-respond with a golfer’s ability. If you can’tbreak 100, playing from the back tees isn’ta good idea.

Find out what set of tees you should use,based on your average score.

Let faster groups play through: There isnothing wrong with admitting you mightnot play as quickly as those behind you. Ifthere is no group in front of you, the politething is to wave the next group to playthrough.

“If you’re just starting or are not thatgood, it will help you enjoy the game,” saidOnsrud. “The faster players behind themhave to understand not to get on them toohard. It’s an understanding of who is infront of you and who is behind you.”

Get out of the cart: Most golfers ride in acart, and there’s nothing wrong with that.However, it’s wrong to sit in the cart wait-ing for your playing partner to hit.

“Proper cart etiquette is, if I’m the driverand you play with me, I should drop you offat your ball, go back to my ball, hit my shotand you’re playing when I’m coming to

pick you up,” said Provost.Play at a reasonable pace: Jason

Wingate, golf superintendent for the city ofBloomington, said trade magazines saytime and money keep people off the course.

“You can control how much time youtake out there,” said Wingate. “There’s noexcuse for a round of golf taking very long.”

Identify your ball: Guess what? Some-one else on the course might also use aNike 3 golf ball. Put an identifying markon your ball, such as your initials, a cou-ple dots, etc. That way, you know yourball; when someone else thinks you’rehitting their ball, you can show themyour mark. Hitting someone else’s ball isan instant way to be the most unpopularperson on the course.

One practice swing: There should be apenalty for anyone who takes more thanone practice swing. First of all, it slows thepace for everyone. Taking three or fourpractice swings probably freezes a golfer,not to mention making you the most dis-liked person in your group. How manytimes do you see a golfer take a divot with apractice swing and not replace it? Alwaysreplace your divot.

Protect the course: There are are otherways to keep the course in the same shapeyou found it. Make sure you rake the

bunker after hitting your shot. Fix your ballmark (or indentation) on the green. Makesure the flag is properly put back in the holeand is secure.

Lost ball: There is a five-minute rulewhen looking for a lost ball. But take only aminute or two when you don’t know whereyour ball landed in the high grass or if ittrickled into the water. If you think youmight have hit the ball out of bounds (be-yond the white stakes), hit a provisionalball from that spot IMMEDIATELY. If yourfirst ball is lost, you can play your provi-sional ball and not slow down the groupbehind you.

No practicing in bunker: You can’t hit thesand with a practice swing in a bunker. Ifyou do, it’s a one-stroke penalty. If one ofyour playing partners does it, you shouldpolitely tell him it’s not legal. You also can’tground or touch your club in a hazard(those red and yellow stakes again) beforehitting the ball. That’s a penalty, too.

Get off the green quickly: When yourgroup is finished with the hole, leave thegreen immediately. You will see golfers whostand with the scorecard on the green afterputting out, writing down all the scores.Wrong! You can do that while either walk-ing to the next tee or when you get to thecart.


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ETIQUETTEFROM PAGE 4

By Mark [email protected]

It was a mid-week day in Feb-ruary when Jason Wingate lookedout his window and watched theapproaching winter stormclouds.

“We’re supposed to get snow,”said the director of golf forBloomington Parks and Recre-ation.“And we’d gladly take everydrop of moisture we can get.”

Those in charge of maintaininggolf courses in Central Illinoishave spent an inordinate amountof time monitoring the weatherafter consecutive summers of ex-treme heat and little rain depletedwater sources and caused courseoperators to re-think the usualstrategies.

In Decatur, severe water re-strictions during back-to-backdroughts will cause the publicScovill Golf Course and the pri-vate Country Club of Decatur to

convert to the tough, easier-to-maintain zoysia grass.

In Bloomington, Wingate isconcerned that more restrictivewater usage at the Highland Parkcourse could put bent grass fair-ways in peril.

“Every golf magazine I get talksabout water,” he said. “It’s the hottopic in our industry and not justaround here. It’s everywhere.”

As director of golf for the De-catur Park District, Rick Ander-son has nervously navigated thepast two summers when the citywatched its Lake Decatur reser-voir become dangerously low.

The city instituted strict re-strictions last summer that di-rectly impacted the care andfeeding of the Red Tail Run andScovill golf courses. A thirdcourse, Hickory Point, was most-ly unaffected because it uses wa-ter from nearby Forsyth.

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Lee News Service/MARK ROBERTS

Red Tail Run director of golf Rick Anderson, right, and golf course superin-

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lakes in 2012.SEE DROUGHT / PAGE 7


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successful wells at Red Tail Run,holding ponds were replenishedwithout using city water.

But at Scovill, wells turned updry. Watering was curtailed as re-strictions went into place. Whatmight have been green, lush fair-ways began to turn variousshades of brown.

Starting this spring, the parkdistrict will begin convertingmost of the fairways at Scovill tothe hearty zoysia grass, which re-quires less water, less mowingand fewer chemicals. Althoughthe course will mostly remainopen this summer, it’s sure to be achallenge for golfers.

A similar conversion will beginin June at the Country Club ofDecatur.

The hope, Anderson said, isthat Scovill will be able to with-stand harsh summers while si-multaneously giving golfers anew playing surface.

“I think the players are going to

love it,” Anderson said. “If youoperate a golf course nowadays,you have to be cost-conscious,which we are. Decatur is not whatit used to be as a golfing commu-nity. Our population is down.Now, we’re trying to survive.

“If you can get off city water,lower chemical bills, changemowing patterns to where youdon’t mow as much because youdon’t need to, and have a grasswhere the ball sits up high anddivots fill in faster, that’s win,win, win, win, win.”

The conversion to zoysia grasswill be closely watched, Wingatesaid.

“I’m sure every operator inCentral Illinois is grateful thatRick is doing it first,” Wingatesaid. “It’s a great grass. When Iwas in Central Missouri near theLake of the Ozarks, it’s a fantasticgrass to play off of. If they pull itoff, it would be a great win.”

Anderson and Country Club ofDecatur head professional SteveOrrick became intrigued byzoysia thanks to Rod Maxwell,

Lee News Service/MARK ROBERTS

Ten-year-old Olivia Marshall, of Mount Zion, gets set to swing in 2012 while

practicing at the Red Tail Run driving range in Decatur.The golf course has

shut down its sprinklers wherever possible, causing much of the course

outside fairways and greens to turn brown. SEE DROUGHT / PAGE 8

DROUGHTFROM 6

owner of the Angus Links coursein Windsor, southeast of Decatur.

Maxwell built that course in1998 and he switched to zoysia in2006 when bluegrass couldn’tsustain some of the weather con-ditions.

“It’s an unbelievable grass,”said Maxwell, who will be an ad-viser on the two Decatur projects.“We don’t have to start mowingfairways until late into April.With bluegrass we’d start mow-ing in March.

“You’re cutting back on fuel,man hours, equipment hours.Water consumption is far less, afraction of what it was.

“In the heat of last summer –and that was extreme – we wa-tered the fairways once and stillhad color. It’s a much heartierroot structure that reaches fur-ther down and can draw waterfrom deeper.”

In Bloomington, Prairie Vistaand The Den at Fox Creek are notas problematic as Highland Park.“Highland Park is the only coursethat uses city water to irrigate,”Wingate said.“But because of thelast two summers, they have dra-matically increased how quicklywe will get into drought restric-tions.

“It’s conceivable if we had an-other summer like the last two,we’d be mandated at HighlandPark and could only water thegreens. That would be tough be-cause we have bent grass fairwaysand that grass doesn’t go dor-mant. It’s either alive or it’s dead.”

Anderson said the “sustain-ability” of golf courses is nolonger taken for granted.

“Everyone is looking at water

usage,” he said. “People are try-ing to cut back on over-water-ing. They’re looking at using ef-fluent water or gray water fromsanitary districts – water that’snot good enough for drinkingbut good enough to use for wa-tering if it doesn’t have a highsalt content.

“If you can use less chemicalsand still have a good playing sur-face, that’s good. The more youcan get away from some of thefertilizers and nitrates, the bet-ter.”

Wingate said the golf industryas a whole has tried to lend itssupport.

“The USGA (United States GolfAssociation) has pushed the ideathat brown is the new green. Thatsounds good, but what choice doyou have if the golfer isn’t ready toaccept that?

“Golfers watch the Mastersand they want it to look like that,”

Wingate said. “They call it theAugusta Syndrome.”

When water is plentiful, vi-brant, green fairways are noproblem.

But when the heat arrives and

the rain stays away, courses face acrisis.

In Central Illinois, golf courseoperators nervously watch theskies and now consider new an-swers.


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DROUGHTFROM 7

Lee News Service/JIM BOWLING

Neoga’s Luke Baker hits toward the fourth green during the IHSA Class A golf regional at Angus Links golf course

near Windsor.Angus Links switched to zoysia in 2006 when bluegrass couldn’t sustain some of the weather

conditions in Central Illinois.

We have all been facedwith approach shotson the course that

call for you to pull out the fair-way wood or long iron inhopes of hitting the green — orending up somewhere close —to give you an easy chance atan up and down.

Our mental picture sees theshot that climbs into the airand lands softly on or near thegreen.

Despite not having muchsuccess in the past, we hopethis is that one time, so wegive it another chance. Theodds are in your favor to hitone good approach with one ofthese clubs.

Here are a few tips to helpincrease the odds of findingthat shot a little more oftenwhen you’re out on the course:

Two important swing fac-tors that could improve yourchances of a successful shotare squaring the clubface at

impact and having a descend-ing club head at impact.

Clubface: Fairway woods andlong irons are a few of thelower lofted clubs in the bag.It’s harder for the ball to reachthe trajectory we need to landsoft enough to hold a greenand easier for the ball to getmore off line. The better webecome at squaring the club-face to the target — poor club-face angle is one of the biggestcauses of bad shots — the bet-ter the chance of the ballreaching our target.

The club being square at im-pact and the ball hit near thecenter of the face will createthe needed backspin for theball to climb to its peak trajec-tory. The clubface angle is thedetermining factor on the di-rection the ball goes. Toomany people make swing andbody adjustments to compen-sate for a poor clubface angleat impact.

Angle of attack: The clubhead needs to move in a de-scending direction at impactfor the ball to achieve themaximum trajectory. Since theball is on the ground, we wantthe club head traveling in adownward motion throughimpact to make ball contacthigher on the clubface, pro-ducing greater spin andlaunch. The thought of help-ing the ball up with the clubhead will lead to shots that arehit too low on the clubface andthe leading edge of the club

hitting too high on the golfball. That results in low linedrives and no control on howfar the ball will carry or roll.

New golf balls are now de-signed to spin less than golfballs from a few generationsback.

Club manufacturers nowdesign clubs, such as hybridsor long irons with wider soles,with a lower center of gravityto help produce a higherlaunch and greater spin.

Even newer fairway woodsare designed with a strategi-cally placed center of gravityand higher lofts, all to helpachieve the higher launch andspin.

If your equipment is a littleoutdated, you might want todemo a few different hybridsor fairway woods to find one toyour liking.

Onsrud is PGA professional, Ironwood

Golf Course, Normal.


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A few tips on fairway woods and long irons

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So you want your child to bea Division I golfer?

Don’t think “just golf, golf,golf” during their high schoolyears, say Illinois State golfcoaches Ray Kralis and DarbySligh.

“I want the state free throwchampion, the person that wasfreshman of the year on thesoccer team,” said Sligh, who isin her fifth season as the Red-bird women’s coach. “We’relooking for someone whobrings everything to the tablefrom leadership to talent toathleticism.”

Kralis, who has led the men’sprogram for eight years, saidspecializing just in golf duringhigh school is probably thewrong way to do it.

“Even though it (golf) is anindividual sport, it’s a hugeteam sport (in college),” hesaid. “We want someone whohas the idea of accountabilityand getting after it and push-ing each other and holdingeach other to a standard.”

That said, high schoolgolfers need to show collegecoaches what they can do onthe course and be what Slighdescribes as “a game changer”who merits a Division I schol-arship.

The days of playing in localor regional golf tournamentsduring the summer, posting agood score and getting a possi-ble scholarship are long gone,according to Sligh and Kralis.

College coaches look to seehow recruits stack up in stateand national competitions. It’simportant to compare whatgolfers shot against betterfields.

Just because someone canshoot par or under-par in thesummer doesn’t mean that willtranslate to college golf, wherethe courses are set up longerwith more difficult pin loca-tions. Many college tourna-ments are played in nasty con-ditions with rain, wind and

sometimes sleet and snow tobattle instead of 90-degreesunshine.

Kralis said playing in eventssuch as the American JuniorGolf Association or OptimistInternational is much moreaccessible than it used to be.While a regional tournamentsuch as the Country YouthClassic in Bloomington-Nor-mal is great, said Kralis, itdoesn’t provide the exposureto college coaches that a na-tional event brings.

Technology also haschanged the way coaches re-cruit.

Sligh said seeing a golfer’sswing on YouTube can imme-diately draw the interest of acollege coach and have theminvestigate whether they wantto see a golfer on the course.

“Sometimes it’s one swing,”said Sligh. “For me, personally,it could be one swing or onemove and that’s something wewant to see more of or theyhave to show me more.”

Kralis said golfers now have

Lee News Service file photo/CARLOS T. MIRANDA

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Colleges broaden recruitment efforts

SEE COLLEGES / PAGE 11

their own Web pages toshow coaches, alongwith video clips.

“Unless you havescores where we come toyou, if you’re trying tosell yourself, you betterhave a good package puttogether,” he said. “But ablanket recruiting serv-ice is no substitute for aresume.”

What also is importantis for high school golfersand their parents to berealistic in accessingwhat and where they canend up playing golf incollege.

Anyone in Central Illi-nois who wants to attenda premier Division I pro-gram in the South betterplay a full summer of na-tional tournaments toeven be considered.

“They have to do their

research and know whereto target themselves,”said Kralis.

Even those who wantto stay in the Midwestneed to start playing inregional or state levelcompetitions as early aspossible. Thinking agood showing at the highschool state tournamentis going to earn them acollege scholarship likelywill not happen, accord-ing to the ISU coaches.

While colleges may tryto develop a player anduse their first year to getthem acclimated, coach-es are more apt to try tofind golfers who cancompete for playing timeimmediately.

“I’m looking for some-one who can change myprogram now,” said Sligh.“If I need that kid, Ineeded that kid yester-day. You want someonewho can really shake yourteam up.”


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Illinois State University senior Matt Ryba chips onto a practice green from a mat in

2008.

COLLEGESFROM 10

One of the easiest ways toquickly lower your scoreis to focus on your short

game. This is an area wheremost amateurs can pick up a lotof strokes.

One of my favorite shots is alittle chip shot that stays reallylow to the ground and rolls verymuch like a putt — some peoplerefer to it as a “bump and run.” Itry to teach all of my studentsthis shot because it is easy toduplicate and very reliable. Bykeeping the ball low, you elimi-nate the worry about how muchcarry you need and are able tofocus on distance and direction.And, if you watch your shot rollout, you can also learn what youmight expect from your putt.

A “bump and run” chip shotis one that will carry the balljust over the fringe, landing onthe green about three feet fromthe edge and rolling the rest ofthe way to the hole. Allowing

the ball to roll to the hole — andnot fly all the way — is the pri-mary consideration. A goodrule of thumb for this shot is“minimum air time, maximumground time.”

Proper club selection de-pends on how much green isbetween your landing area andthe hole, and whether you areplaying uphill or downhill.Typically, this shot works bestwith a pitching wedge or sandwedge for shorter distances anda 7- or 8-iron when the hole is alittle further away.

After selecting a club, deter-mine a target line and set yourclubface square to this line.Sometimes the target line is di-rectly toward the hole, othertimes you must accommodate aleft or right break in the green.Be sure to consider break whenplanning how far the ball willroll.

Keeping your clubface squareto the target line, address theball with your feet, knees, hips,and shoulders all slightly opento the target line. This openstance gets your lower body outof the way of the shot. Next,position the ball about twoinches inside your front footand place slightly more thanhalf of your weight forward andgrip the club with your forwardwrist flat.

With my right-handed play-ers, I sometimes refer to this setup as the “Triple Left” — theball is left, your weight is left

and you strike the ball withyour left hand.

Lastly, make a short, smoothstroke back and through on thetarget line, keeping the back ofyour front hand and wrist flat —almost like a putting stroke.The ball should fly very low tothe ground, land about threefeet onto the green and roll tothe hole.

Remember that backswingequals distance and followthrough equals direction. Agood habit to get into is to holdyour finish position, with theclub head pointing along thetarget line and your front wristflat, until the ball has stoppedmoving.

With a little practice you willsoon be chipping closer to thehole and saving more pars withthis simple, easy-to-learn shot!

Provost is PGA professional, Weibring Golf

Club, Illinois State University.

Work on short game to improve your score

Laura Provost


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By Brian [email protected]

Just as scores and handicapsvary, so do rules for a guys-onlygolf vacation.

“In the early days, we used tohave a consent slip for wives ofthings we can do,” Mike Metzger,a Charleston certified public ac-countant, said. “I called it ‘Appli-cation for Trip for the Boys.’ Agirlfriend or wife would have tosign a slip saying what they couldand couldn’t do.”

Steve Matheny’s wife has a dif-ferent standard. “She’s just gladto get rid of me,” the Mattoon Re-altor said with a laugh.

Metzger is part of a group that’splayed 67 courses in Florida andSouth Carolina over 20 years. Al-most 30 people have made up thegroups ranging from four to 12;Metzger records everyone’s bestround and money winnings.

“You don’t want anyone who isreally good to go on the trip andyou don’t want anyone who is re-ally bad either,” Metzger said.

Mattoon chiropractor DonFreesmeier has played with hisson Michael at Pinehurst, with itsPGA tradition, and son Andrew atKohler, Wis., site of Blackwolfand Whistling Straits.

On his list for a future trip isGreenbrier, W.Va., where a fabu-lous hotel is among the attrac-tions. “I’m planning on losing afew golf balls there,” Freesmeiersaid.

Indianapolis and St. Louis alsooffer plenty of courses. “Chicagohas a lot of good courses but it’scrowded,” Freesmeier said.“There’s a lot of golfers.”

Myrtle Beach Heritage andBarefoot Resort are among fa-vorites for Metzger’s golfinggroup.

“In Florida, we like theBrooksville, Fla., area, about anhour and a half north of Tampa,”Metzger said. “It’s in kind of a re-mote area so not a lot of traffic.”

Shine Doughty, pastor at Mat-toon Apostolic Center, has threegolf trips each year — one in thefirst week of January near Saraso-

ta, Fla., before rates jump Jan. 15;one in the second week of Maywith a group of 28 in Tennessee;and one the first week of Octoberwith a smaller family group inPhoenix.

“When I go on these trips, Iusually take nonstop flights,”Doughty said. “If you don’t, aflight can be late and you missconnections and your tee time, orthey lose your golf clubs. I dononstop from now on. You mightpay a little more, but you will paya lot if you miss your tee time oryou have to use rented clubs.”

Matheny has enjoyed tripssouth to Hot Springs, Ark.; northto Michigan; or to the St. Louisarea and Rend Lake. The idea is tofind somewhere where severalcourses are available.

“I like to go one place and findcourses about 30 miles fromthere,” Matheny said.“I don’t likepacking up and moving some-where else.”

Some other hints:◗ Have someone in charge of

finding the best plane fares or ho-tel rates.

◗ A decent hotel works, becauseyou usually aren’t in the roomthat long.

◗ Down South, rates are usuallygood toward the end of a hurri-cane season. November is usually

a good time.◗ Weather usually is better in

April but bring clothes for differ-

ent temperatures.◗ Bring your own golf balls.


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For Lee News Service

Mattoon’s Michael Freesmeier, his caddy required and provided by the golf course, and Michael’s father, Don

Freesmeier, pose at the famous Pinehurst No. 2 during one of the Freesmeiers’ favorite vacations.

SEE GETAWAY / PAGE 14

Vacation no time to give up golfing

◗ Bring pain relieveror muscle balm. Watchwhat you eat.

◗ A cellphone canonly be a distraction.“I’ll take it for emer-gencies but it’s not inmy bag,” Freesmeiersaid. “My wife knowsthat.”

Estimated cost is$100-$200 per day,maybe cheaper if youshop for deals. “I fig-ure I’ve worked allyear,” Matheny said.“I’m going to spendmoney.”

Then there is thequestion of how muchgolf is too much.

“I usually play 36 aday, unless it’s a daywe’re leaving, so thenwe play 18 so we canshower and clean upand not be totally ex-hausted,” Doughtysaid.

“When I wasyounger, it was 36,”Freesmeier said. “Nowwe’ve learned to play18 and enjoy the club-house.”

Matheny and hisfriends have foundthat a regular round isgood in the morningand a less-demandingscramble works in theafternoon.

“It’s usually prettyclean fun,” Mathenysaid. “Anymore, (at)our age, it’s prettyclean fun, darn it.”

In writing this article, I endedup touching not on one par-ticular part of the game. In-

stead, the following instruction isgeared toward all the clubs inyour bag.

I am blessed to have been in-structed by PGA Hall of Famemember, Manuel de la Torre. Thefirst clinic I attended, de la Torrewas 86 years young and wasdemonstrating a variety ofbunker shots with a 52-degreewedge from various lies. Theclass consisted of about 60 in-structors, including former inter-national tour player, Anne MariePalli.

Standing next to de la Torre’sgolf bag, Palli looked throughthe assortment of clubs, andasked in her charming Frenchaccent why he did not have a 56-or 60-degree wedge. He replied,“There are many wedges in thatbag. Please hand me the seveniron.” He then proceeded to hitfantastic greenside bunker shotsout of a 5-foot deep bunker withhis seven iron. I knew then that Ihad found my mentor who wouldchange my understanding of thegame and my philosophy ofteaching others. His point andmine as well, is that the motionof the club in relation to the tar-get should be the focus of yourgolf swing.

I instruct my students to focuson the club and its motion and toforget about telling your bodyhow to move to create the shotyou want to hit. By shifting focus,it provides an approach to a gamethat is often made too complicat-ed and more frustrating. Thisshift in focus will allow you tosimplify your game and truly

start enjoying your day on thelinks.

As humans, we are wonderfullyadept at moving objects with co-ordinated movement of our bod-ies; yet we are much less compe-tent at describing how we movethe object. Think of it in the con-text of this example. While writ-ing this article, I am drinking mymorning cup of java. As I movethe coffee cup from the table tomy mouth, I am not shouting in-structions to my body on how tocomplete that motion. I simplymove the cup toward my mouthand my body coordinates all ofthe motion required to completethe task.

Granted, I had my share ofspills as a toddler before I suc-cessfully mastered the task, butthe focus was simply on movingthe object, not trying to figureout the mechanics required tomove it. This change in focus fa-cilitates learning of any motorskill, including the swinging of agolf club — any club!

More than likely, you have hadsome golf instruction or contem-plated taking some lessons. Icould be wrong, but I’m prettysure there are very few, if any,tour players reading my article. Itis my belief that, regardless of

your level of skill — beginner, ormiddle-to-high handicap player— you should not be looking totour players for instruction ofyour game.

They are the best of the bestathletes in the sport, and theyhave spent a lifetime honing theirskills.

They are able to move theirbodies and club in any mannerand make it work out to producethe desired golf shot.

They do not work 40 to 60hours in an office and dash to therange for an hour to figure outtheir game.

They do not show up on a Sat-urday morning after having nottouched their clubs since lastSaturday’s game.

Enjoy their level of skill and ob-serve the artistry and perfectionin the motion of the club in theirswing, but do not compare your-self to them. Too many place theirexpectations on the same playinglevel as the tour players, andsearch for the right club, rightstance, grip, etc. Trust me, less ismore.

I love the game of golf, and I es-pecially enjoy teaching othershow to improve their game. Learnhow to swing the club in the di-rection of your target — any club— and remove the clutter andchatter of trying to tell your bodyhow to move to hit the shot. It re-ally is that simple, though it isnot easy. Contact me to learnwhat I have from a master of thegame — today, de la Torre is 91years young and is still teaching. Ican only hope that I can follow inhis footsteps.

Lee is a Mattoon-based golf pro.


Focus on club to get good shots

Mark Lee

GETAWAYFROM 13

20510365FOUR WINDS OF AMERICA

CENTRAL IL GOLF GUID1 x 2

RED, YELL, CYAN

By Mark [email protected]

In six years, the annual Sig-nature Cup competition be-tween the best golfers inBloomington-Normal and thebest in Decatur has beeneverything organizers hoped itwould be – a Ryder Cup-stylematch play team event unlikeany other in Central Illinois.

Decatur won the inauguralevent in 2007, and Blooming-ton-Normal followed with fivestraight, so fans have been leftwanting a bit more competi-tive balance.

That said, Cup players say ithas become known for morethan who wins and loses. Theseventh annual Cup will beJune 29-30 at Red Tail Run inDecatur.

“When I think about whatthe Signature Cup means, mypulse quickens a little bit,” saidKurtis Rogers, head pro at RedTail Run and a participant inthe pro division for six years.He is captain of the DecaturSignature Cup team.

“I think the best thing is thatit’s a team event. That ener-gizes people to play for a com-mon cause and that cause isyour team and your town. Itcreates emotions you don’thave in a typical golf tourna-ment.”

Elston Mitchell, who willcaptain the Bloomington-Normal team for the third time, agrees the eventreaches beyond who wins andloses.

“I think there’s a misunder-standing among people whodon’t play in it,” he said. “Theysee that the outcomes havebeen a little lop-sided and theythink that’s what it’s about,but it’s more than that.

“It has become a reallyfriendly competition betweentwo communities. We’ve got-ten to know each other prettywell. It’s something we both

look forward to. And eventhough one of our major citytournaments is match play,this Ryder Cup-style format ispretty neat.”

Each captain must choose ateam of at least eight amateurmen, two amateur women, twosenior men and two local pros.On Saturday, two-playerteams compete in alternateshot and four-ball play.

On Sunday, golfers face offin a string of singles matches.The two-day point totals de-termine the championship.

“There have been very fewcontroversies,” Rogers said. “Ithink it brings out the best inus and in the game. A lot ofthat credit goes to the tone setby the first two captains –Richie Hammel and FrankNiepagen. After that, DarrylStock and Harland Kilborncontinued to insist on thatkind of sportsmanship and Ithink it has become a part ofthe event.”

In 2010, while on the course,news reached The Den at FoxCreek in Bloomington that themother of Decatur pro NickTaute had died unexpectedly inDecatur.

Taute continued to competebut the death stung the De-catur team.

In May 2011, Hammel, theDecatur captain for threeyears, died after a brief battlewith cancer. Bloomington waswell represented at Hammel’svisitation.

Last summer, at the kickoffbanquet at The Den, KurtisRogers and his brother, Signa-ture Cup teammate KraigRogers, received word of theirfather’s passing.

“That Sunday I was playing(Bloomington pro) Craig On-srud and he played great, hewas really on,” Kurtis Rogersrecalled. “He knew I was stillhurting because of my dad andafter our match Craig and his


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Lon Lugten tees off for Decatur in 2012 during the Signature Cup golf

tournament at The Den at Fox Creek in Bloomington.

SEE SIGNATURE / PAGE 16

wife gave me a card.“But during the match,

Craig was giving me 4-footers.He just said, ‘You aren’t goingto putt those today.’ It waspretty cool but that’s what youfind in this event. People wantto win badly, but they’re morethan gracious.”

Rick Anderson, the DecaturPark District’s director of golf,is a founder of the event andhelped Decatur win the 2007event with a much-neededsingles point on Sunday.

“We’ve become good friendswith a lot of their players and Ihope there’s a mutual respect,”he said. “I think match playcultivates a different kind ofintensity. If you keep the com-petition in that perspective,it’s good. Even if you’re los-ing.”

Then Anderson added twomore words.

“Kind of.”


20510352

20511062MACON RESOURCES INCCENTRAL IL GOLF GUID

1 x 4.87RED, YELL, CYAN

SIGNATUREFROM 15


Todd Mitchell hits out of the bunker for Bloomington onto the fourth green last year during the Signature Cup

golf tournament at The Den at Fox Creek in Bloomington.

By Steve Orrick

Golf can be as compli-cated as you want tomake it. If you want to

drive the ball straighter andfurther, keep it simple.

We always look for ways tohit longer while keeping theball in the fairway, so we oftenforget the starting point: Don’toverlook alignment and grippressure.

People typically step to thetee without picking and focus-ing on a specific target. Makesure you align feet, shouldersand hips toward that target.

Often, golfers look in thegeneral area of the fairway.Unfortunately, in our sport, weneed to be more precise.

Once you’ve picked a target,think about ball position.

Many times, people get theball too far back in theirstance. That’s fine with aniron, because you want to hitdown. But with a driver, youneed a more sweeping swing.

The ball should be closer to theinside of the front foot.

Grip pressure is a commonproblem, too. We grab that bigdriver and want to hit the ball amile. As a result, we tend togrip the club too tightly andtensely, causing you to loseclub head speed and power.

Think about using a lightergrip pressure. Just grip the club,pick it off the ground and feelthe head of the club. If it feelslight, you’ve probably grippedtoo tightly. You want to feel theweight of the club head but holdthe club firmly enough so theclub face isn’t moving all over.

In general, try to focus onbalance, which means swing-ing within yourself. Becausewe want to hit the ball as far aspossible, we tend to over-swing and lose our balance.Watch the PGA Tour golfers ontelevision. They’re all drivingthe ball 300 yards, but theyrarely teeter off-balance.

For the average golfer, the

best advice is to slow yourtempo so you have a betterchance to hit the ball in themiddle of the club face. Hittingthe ball in the center of theclub face will allow you to hit itharder and straighter thanswinging hard and hitting theball on the toe of the club.

If you can swing hard, andconsistently hit the ball in themiddle of the club face, great.But the average golfer can’t dothat. The results are betterwhen you don’t swing outsideyour limits.

Watch your practice habits,too. It is possible to practicetoo much, especially if you’renot practicing right.

People say that practicemakes perfect. In reality, prac-tice makes permanent. If youare not practicing the rightthing, you could make a badhabit permanent.

It’s a good idea to check witha teaching pro. In just fiveminutes, they can generally tell

you if you’re on the right trackor if you need a quick adjust-ment. It helps to have anotherset of eyes.

A common misconception isthat you need to be a big per-son to hit the ball big dis-tances. That’s not true: It boilsdown to mechanics and funda-mentals.

I’m a relatively small guy butI can play competitively be-cause most of my power comesfrom the ground, from my legs.So work on your fundamentals,slow your tempo, pick a spe-cific target and lighten yourgrip pressure.

Make those simple tips partof your good golf habits andyou’ll drive the ball farther andstraighter. If you don’t have agood foundation, you won’tbuild a very good house.

Orrick is head golf professional, Country

Club of Decatur. The Bloomington native is

former assistant pro at Bloomington

Country Club.


Simplify your swing to get more accurate results

Come with me for a sec-ond, please. You’restanding over a 4-foot-

er for par. It’s an importantputt. Maybe it’s to win that $2Nassau in your group, maybeit’s for the club championshipor maybe it’s for your personalbest 9-hole score.

Regardless, you’re feelingthe pressure to make it. Ifyou’re the typical golfer,you’re thinking something like“Don’t miss this” or “Just goin, please.”

I hope to give you some waysto better handle this situation.

First of all, nothing ruins aputting stroke more than anxi-ety. It’s a big putt, sure, but is itreally going to define yourworth as a person? Of coursenot. It’s just a putt. The morepressure you put on yourself tomake it, the worse yourchances become of making it.

Embrace the opportunity.It’s moments like this that

make the game fun to play. Sowhat if you miss? You’re fortu-nate to be able to put yourselfin this situation and can learnfrom it.

Focus on the process, not theoutcome. The absolute No. 1thing you can do to improveyour pressure putting is to de-velop a dependable pre-shotroutine. By focusing on goingthrough your regular puttingroutine, your mind should be-come so involved in theprocess that the “pressure” ofthe moment has no opportuni-ty to gain mental space. Com-

mit yourself to a routine, and Ipromise that your pressureputting will improve.

Think roll, not hit. Greatputters roll the ball, bad put-ters hit it. What are the bene-fits of trying to roll the ball in-stead of hitting it? Rhythm andconsistency are the answers. Aputting stroke that is attempt-ing to roll the ball will be muchsmoother with little discern-able difference between thetempo of the backswing andthe forward swing.

Keep your grip pressure lightand constant. This goes per-fectly with the thought ofrolling the ball. Keeping yourgrip pressure light and con-stant should allow you tomaintain a consistent, smoothrhythm throughout the entirestroke.

It’s very common to abruptlyincrease the grip pressure rightas the club begins to make thestroke, at the beginning of the

forward swing and at impact.These changes in grip pressurewill lead to a poorly timedstroke. Abruptly increasingthe grip pressure at (or near)impact will lead to the dreadeddeceleration of the clubheadthat will tend to leave puttsshort and on the low side of thehole.

You’ve probably noticed thatwe’ve talked very little aboutthe mechanics of the puttingmotion.

That’s on purpose. I believemost golfers have alreadymissed the putt in their mindbefore the club ever moves.Follow these simple tips and Ithink you’ll find yourself look-ing forward to that next op-portunity to sink that “pres-sure” putt.

And remember, it’s just agame.

Wingate is PGA professional, city of

Bloomington.

Jason Wingate


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Pre-shot routine will help on the big putts


The days of breaking out thegolf clubs on the first day of sum-mer and expecting to play well intournaments are getting moredifficult for junior golfers.

Those who want to use thesummer as a primer for the highschool season in the fall — andpossibly enhance their chances toplay in college — need to do somethings in the months beforehand.

Craig Onsrud, the professionalat Ironwood Golf Course in Nor-mal, instructs several high schoolgolfers. He encourages his stu-dents to do flexibility training inthe winter months and likes themto use available indoor facilities tohit balls occasionally. He alsowants them to take advantage ofbreaks in the weather to find anopen course.

“The kids who want to play willcontinue to play,” said Onsrud.

“They’ll continue to strive andget better. The more experienceand more reps you’re doing, thebetter you’ll become at it.”

Laura Provost, the professionalat Weibring Golf Club at IllinoisState University and an assistantcoach for the Redbird women’steam, believes being physically fitis important for high schoolgolfers, especially those whowant to play at the next level.

Plus, seeing an instructor ishelpful.

“We’re looking for kids who arestrong,” said Provost. “Get a les-son and find a teacher you likeand can communicate with. Wedon’t care who you go to, just goto somebody.”

Jason Wingate, the golf super-intendent for the city of Bloom-ington, believes it is importanteven in the winter months to get aclub in your hands.

Wingate follows famous


20510646

20511466CHARLES MCGORRAY

CENTRAL IL GOLF GUID1 x 4.87

RED, YELL, CYAN


Normal Community High School golfer Aaron Armstrong blasts out of a

sand trap on number 11, at Ironwood Golf Course in Normal in 2012.Area

golf pros suggest younger golfers continue to work on their game in the

off season.

Teens should keep sharp year-round

SEE TEENS / PAGE 20

instructor Hank Haney on Twit-ter. Haney promotes taking 100swings a day to groove your golfswing, 365 days a year, regardless where you live.

“He’s trying to encourage peo-ple, even somewhere in theirhouse, to do 100 swings a day. Hesaid you need to own your golfswing once the season starts,”said Wingate. “I’ve tried to do it.It takes 10 to 15 minutes to take100 swings. Anytime you can dothat (is productive) or even getyourself in front of a mirror tomake sure you’re doing the basicthings right.”

Onsrud likes to see his seriousstudents set up some kind of put-ting drills in their homes duringthe colder months, even if it isjust for five minutes per day.

“You would be surprised howeffective that will be,” he said.

Once the weather breaks, thosegearing up to play in tournamentsshouldn’t just bash balls withtheir driver at the practice range.

Provost said younger golfersshould use chipping areas avail-able at many courses and practicefacilities, even if it’s just for 15minutes a day.

“You’ll pick up so many strokesbeing prepared with the shortgame,” she said.

Practicing is fine, yet Onsruddoesn’t like to see someone for alesson who hasn’t been on thecourse since they last met.

“I tell them if we want you to bea great basketball player and weshot 1,000 shots a day and youwere a great shooter but neverplayed in a pickup game, youwould never be a great player in agame. It’s the exact same thing

(with golf),” he said. “You mighthit great shots on the drivingrange, but you’re in total differentsituation when you’re on the golfcourse.”

Provost sees many students“go overboard” during the sum-mers with tournaments. She be-lieves playing at least two tourna-ments in the summer is enough.

“You have to count your scorefor real and not be out with yourbuddies,” she said. “It’s a differ-ent mindset.”

Wingate said there is no substi-tute for putting yourself in pres-sure situations and learning howto grind.

“That’s something I don’t seekids do a lot. They pack it in reallyearly,” he said.

“On the (PGA) tour, sometimesguys don’t have their ‘A’ game,but they grind and get it in.I don’tthink people want to grind in

their regular groups. You have tolearn how you cope with thosepressure situations.”

Onsrud said that comes withgetting out and playing.

“You have to give them the op-portunity, whether it’s a juniorpass, but they have to get on thegolf course,” he said. “That’s thebiggest thing I preach.”


20511570ROGALA PUBLIC LINKSCENTRAL IL GOLF GUID

1 x 2

20511742

TEENSFROM 19

Lee News Service/LISA MORRISON

Maddy Burgett of Charleston tees off on the first hole during the IHSA Girls Class 1A state golf tournament.

Most golfers understandthat greens will varyfrom course to course.

Some are fast; others slow. Somehave big undulations while othersare relatively flat. Fairway condi-tions will be lush and deep on onecourse and spotty and uneven onanother.

But when the ball lands in thesand, golfers expect consistencyfrom one bunker to the next.

The truth is, consistency ofbunkers and the sand in them willchange greatly from course tocourse. So should your approach.

I hear golfers complain all thetime that “there’s just not enoughsand in the bunker!” or “There’sway too much sand in thebunker!”

A bunker is a hazard. You’re notsupposed to have hit the ball therein the first place, so there’s apenalty for being off course.

The skill it takes to successfullyhit from a bunker can be en-hanced by your equipment andyour ability to read the sand con-ditions you’re playing. It helps toknow the course you’re playing.

At Red Tail Run in Decatur, forinstance, I would call the sandfluffier and drier because of thewind exposure. That requires aclub with more bounce to dis-place the sand, and you need toswing a little harder.

Bounce is the difference be-tween the leading edge of the cluband the trailing edge of the club.Hold the base of your club faceacross the top of a coffee cup andstudy the angle. I pulled out twowedges and one had a bounce an-gle of about 12 degrees. That’s atypical sand wedge. Anotherwedge had a bounce angle of 8degrees.

Golfers are not going to carrytwo sand wedges. But a golfermight carry a 58- or 60-degreelob wedge and a 56-degree sandwedge.

Match the wedge to your con-ditions. In a firmer condition, lessbounce is better.

I like to play bunker shots withmore bounce on the club andpitch shots with less bounce. Somy lob wedge will have thebounce that will help me get outof the bunker. My sand wedge willhave less bounce and I’m morelikely to play it from differentplaces on the course.

Another tip to improvedbunker play is quite obvious:Practice the shot!

We spend countless hours onthe putting green and on thepractice range hitting drives,irons and studying the breaks ofour putts.

But we spend very little timegetting a firm stance in the sandand working on bunker shotsfrom various distances.

Remember: Even very goodgolfers are likely to hit from thesand a couple times a round. Lessaccomplished golfers will be inthere more. So the ability to deftlyextricate the ball from the sandcan be a real stroke-saver.

Most Central Illinois courses(including Decatur and Bloom-

ington) get their sand from thesame place. Like Red Tail Run,courses like Prairie Vista and TheDen at Fox Creek are exposed tothe wind and have drier sand.

If you’re traveling to otherparts of the country, the sandconditions can change greatly. Beprepared to hit from deeperbunkers, perhaps larger bunkers,with a different consistency.

You cannot ground your club inthe bunker. Sand shots should beplayed further up in your stance.Get a firm foothold and keep yourhands behind the ball at set-up.Pick the club up — the club willcome up and away from the ballat a steeper-than-normal angle.You want to hit as close to the ballas you can (maybe an inch orinch-and-a-half behind the ball)without having the club dig intothe sand. You want it to skim (orbounce).

Imagine taking a dollar bill-sized divot from under the ball.You’re trying to throw the ball outwith a cushion of sand. Because

of the steeper angle of yourswing, a bunker shot is like tryingto hit the ball out of a coffee cup.A pitch shot is like trying to hitthe ball out of a cereal bowl.

If the bunker is not next to thegreen and you are faced with alonger shot, choose a club withless loft. Don’t be afraid to use an8-iron or 9-iron. This is a shotthat none of us practices oftenenough.

If your course has a “demoday” at which golfers can try newproducts, consider experiment-ing with different wedges. Ideally,a professional can help fit yourwedges to the course and condi-tions you typically play. Wedgesare lofted clubs with the versatili-ty to be used in many areas of thecourse. And that includes in thosesand-filled bunkers we all wishwe could avoid.

Anderson is director of golf, Decatur Park Dis-

trict, and a PGA teaching professional. His

daughter, Hilary, played at Illinois State Uni-

versity.


20511727MEADOWVIEW GOLF COURSE

GOLF GUIDE-MEADOWVI1 x 4.87


GOLF GUIDE-TIMBERLAK1 x 2

Plan your bunker shots depending on the bunker

Rick Anderson

BLOOMINGTON-NORMALAREA

The Den at Fox CreekBloomington309-434-2300Par: 72Yardage: 6,422Greens fees: M-Th $31; F-

Sun $41 (Frequent player card:M-Th $24; F-Sun $31)

Practice range: YesWebsite:

www.thedengc.com

Highland Park G.C.Bloomington309-434-2200Par: 70Yardage: 5,539Greens fees: M-Th $16; F-

Sun $18 (Frequent player card:M-Th $13; F-Sun $15)

Practice range: NoWebssite: www.highland

parkgc.com

Ironwood G.C.

Normal309-454-9620Par: 72Yardage: 6,456Greens fees: M-F $19, week-

ends $24; seniors (60-older)and juniors (17-under) $15 af-ter 2 p.m. on weekends

Practice range: YesWebsite: www.golfiron

wood.org

The Links at Ireland GroveBloomington309-661-8040Par: 29Yardage: 1,590Greens fees: $10, $5 under

age 6Practice range: YesWeb site: www.the

linksatirelandgrove.com

Prairie Vista G.C.Bloomington309-434-2217Par: 72Yardage: 6,427

Greens fees: M-Th $31; F-Sun $33 (Frequent player card:M-Th $24; F-Sun $26)

Practice range: YesWebsite:

www.prairievistagc.com

Weibring Golf Club at ISUNormal309-438-8065Par: 71Yardage: 6,160Greens fees: M-F $32, week-

ends $35; seniors: M-F $23,weekends $26; juniors: M-F$20, weekends $23

Practice range: Short gamearea

Website:www.isugolf.com/golf

Anderson Fields G.C.Streator815-672-3702Par: 35Yardage: 2,682Greens fees: 9 holes: $10

(resident), $12 (non-resident);

18 holes: $17 (resident), $20(non-resident)

Practice range: NoWebsite:

www.ci.streator.il.us/anderson-fields.php

Bluegrass Creek G.C.Minier309-392-2094Par: 36Yardage: 3,044Greens fees: $13 (all day);

juniors $8 (15-under)Practice range: No

Dwight Country ClubDwight815-584-1399Par: 71Yardage: 6,306Greens fees: M-F $17, week-

ends $21Practice range: YesWebsite: www.dwight

countryclub.com



Father-son team of Bob and Mike Lee end a round of golf at Highland Park Golf Course in Bloomington.

GolfDirectory

SEE DIRECTORY / PAGE 23

El Paso Golf ClubKappa309-527-5225Par: 71Yardage: 6,111Greens fees: $27 for 18 holes,

$13.50 for 9 holes, closed tothe public Sunday and holidays

Practice range: Short gamearea

Website: www.elpasogolfclub.com

Fairlakes Golf CourseSecor309-744-2222Par: 67Yardage: 5,052Greens fees: M-F: $9 (9

holes), $16 (18 holes); week-ends: $11 (9 holes), $18 (week-ends)

Practice range: NoWebsite:

www.fairlakesgc.com

Four Willows G.C.Mason City217-482-3349Par: 35Yardage: 3,000Greens fees: $9 for 9 holes,

$6 for replayPractice range: No

Hazy Hills G.C.Hudson309-726-9200Par: 35Yardage: 2,900Greens fees: $9Practice range: No

Indian Creek G.C.Fairbury815-692-2655Par: 72Yardage: 5,840Greens fees: 9 holes: $10, M-

F, $12 weekends; 18 holes: $16M-F, $18 weekends

Practice range: YesWebsite: www.indian

creekcc.net

Indian Springs G.C.Saybrook309-475-4111

Par: 36Yardage: 3,255Greens fees: $16 M-F, $19

weekends (18 holes)Practice range: Yes

Kaufman Park G.C.Eureka309-467-2523Par: 34Yardage: 2,767Greens fees: 9 holes: $10; 18

holes: $16Practice range: No

Lake of the Woods G.C.Mahomet217-586-2183Par: 72Yardage: 6,044Greens fees: M-F $24 (resi-

dent), $26 (non-resident);weekends $25 (resident), $27(non-resident)

Practice range: YesWebsite: www.golfthe

lake.com

LeRoy Country ClubLeRoy309-962-3421Par: 71Yardage: 5,681Greens fees: 9 holes $7, 18

holes $14Practice range: Chipping area

Lick Creek G.C.Pekin309-346-0077Par: 72Yardage: 6,308Green fees: weekdays $21.25,

weekends $24Practice range: YesWebsite:www.pekinpark

district.org/lickcreek.html

Lincoln Elks C.C.Lincoln217-732-4010Par: 71Yardage: 6,100Greens fees: 9 holes $15, 18

holes $26Practice range: Yes

Metamora FieldsMetamora309-367-4000Par: 71Yardage: 6,209

Green fees: weekday $45,weekends $55

Practice range: YesWebsite: www.metamora

fields.com

North Greens G.C.Atlanta217-648-5500Par: 36Yardage: 3,290Greens fees: 9 holes $10, 18

holes $16; seniors: 9 holes $8,18 holes $13 (M-F)

Practice range: Yes

Pontiac Elks C.C.Pontiac815-842-1249Par: 72Yardage: 6,579Fees: M-F $20, weekends $24Practice range: YesWebsite: www.pontiac

elks.com

Railside Golf ClubGibson City

217-784-5000Par: 72Yardage: 6,755Fees: M-F $18; weekends $20Practice range: YesWebsite: www.railside.com

Twin Creeks G.C.Streator815-672-4220Par: 72Yardage: 6,133Greens fees: 9 holes: M-F

$12, weekends $15.50; 18 holes:M-F $17, weekends $22.50

Practice range: Yes

WeaverRidge Golf ClubPeoria309-691-3344Par: 72Yardage: 6,013Green fees: $45-$93 (in-

cludes cart)Practice range: YesWebsite: www.weaver

ridge.com

CENTRAL ILLINOIS GOLF GUIDE PAGE 23GolfDirectory


DIRECTORYFROM 22


GOLF GUIDE-LAKE SHOR1 x 4.87

CENTRAL ILLINOIS GOLF GUIDE

Wolf Creek Golf ClubCayuga815-842-9008Par: 72Yardage: 6,637Greens fees: 9 holes: M-F $10,

weekends $13; 18 holes: M-F $18,weekends $21

Practice range: YesWebsite: www.golfatwolf

creek.com

Woodlawn C.C.Farmer City309-928-3215Par: 72Yardage: 6,234Greens fees: 9 holes: M-Sat

$10, Sunday $12; 18 holes: M-Sat$18, Sunday $20

Practice range: YesWebsite: www.woodlawn

countryclubfc.com

DECATUR AREA

Hickory Point727 Weaver Road, Decatur

217-421-7444Par: 72Yardage: 6,848Greens fees: $24 weekdaysDriving range: YesWebsite: www.decatur-

parks.org/golf

Red Tail Run520 W. Grove Road, Decatur217-422-2211Par: 72Yardage: 7,351Greens fees: $24 weekdaysDriving range: YesWebsite: www.decatur-

parks.org/golf

Scovill3909 W. Main St., Decatur217-429-6243Par: 71Yardage: 5,925Greens fees: $24 weekdaysDriving range: YesWebsite: www.decatur-

parks.org/golf

Cardinal15737 N. Beach Road, Effing-

ham217-868-2860Par: 72

Yardage: 5,899Website: forewaygolf

course.com

Effingham16041 N. 100th St.217-858-5418Par: 36Yardage: 2,910Website: forewaygolf

course.com

The National Golf CourseRoute 1, Box 230, Findlay217-756-5555Par: 72Yardage: 6,900Greens fees: $30 weekdaysWebsite: thenationalgc.com

Moweaqua Golf Course2598 E. 1900 North Road,

Moweaqua217-768-3411Par: 72Yardage: 6,307Driving range: YesGreens fees: $16 weekdaysWebsite: moweaqua

golfcourse.com

Oak Terrace1000 Beyers Lake Road, Pana

1-800-577-7598Par: 72Yardage: 6,275Greens fees: $44 weekdaysWebsite: www.oakterrace

resort.com

St. Elmo Golf ClubOne mile northwest of St.

Elmo618-829-3390Par: 36Yardage: 3,220Greens fees: $8Website: stelmogolfclub.com

Deer Trail1902 E. 1500 North Road,

Shelbyville217-774-3030Par: 35Yardage: 2,832

Lake Shore1460 E. 1000 North Road,

Taylorville217-824-5521Par: 72Yardage: 6,778Greens fees: $30 weekdaysWebsite:

www.golflakeshore.com

GolfDirectory


DIRECTORYFROM 23

Lee News Service/LISA MORRISON

A golfer hits a ball on to the eighth green Red Tail Run Golf Course in Decatur.

20511574

Lincoln Trail2021 Lincoln Trail, Tay-

lorville217-824-5161Par: 35Yardage: 2,905

Ironhorse2000 Ironhorse Drive, Tus-

cola217-253-6644Par: 72Yardage: 7,046Greens fees: $24 weekdaysWebsite: www.ironhorse

gc.com

Angus LinksThree miles south of Wind-

sor217-459-2805Par: 71Yardage: 6,705Greens fees: $27Website: www.angus

links.com

Legends4551 Nicklaus Drive, Cham-

paign217-863-2145Par: 29Yardage: 1,489Greens fees: $9Website: www.legends

ofchampaign.com

Stone CreekUrbana217-367-3000Par: 72Yardage: 7,118Greens fees: $44Website: www.stonecreek

golfclub.com

University of Illinois Blue800 Hartwell Drive, Savoy217-359-5613Par: 72Yardage: 6,479Greens fees: $22 weekdaysDriving range: YesWebsite: www.uofigolf.com

University of Illinois Orange800 Hartwell Drive, Savoy217-359-5613

Par: 72Yardage: 6,866Greens fees: $22 weekdaysDriving range: YesWebsite: www.uofigolf.com

MATTOON-CHARLESTONAREA

Meadowview Golf Course6489 Meadowview Lane,

Mattoon217-258-7888Par: 72Yardage: 6,745Type: PublicDriving range: Yeswww.meadowviewgolf.com

Norton Knolls Golf CourseNorth Reel Street, P.O. Box

594, Oakland217-346-3102Par: 34Yardage: 2,547Type: PublicDriving range: No

Rogala Public Links1322 State Highway 16, Mat-

toon217-235-5518Par: 36Yardage: 3,069Type: PublicDriving range: No

Eagle Ridge Golf CourseParis928 Clinton Road217-463-3434Par: 72Yardage: 6,589Type: Public

Bent Tree Golf Course14618 E. County Road 400

North, Charleston217-348-1611Par: 70Yardage: 6,240Type: Public

Timberlake Golf Course957 County Road 700 East,

Sullivan217-797-6496Par: 70Yardage: 6,054Type: Publicwww.timberlake

golfcourse.com

CENTRAL ILLINOIS GOLF GUIDE PAGE 25GolfDirectory

DIRECTORYFROM 24

CENTRAL ILLINOIS GOLF GUIDE

ProWatch

Area eventsDecatur-Forsyth Classic Presented by Tate& Lyle and Decatur Park DistrictDate: June 14-16Place: Hickory Point Golf Course, DecaturDefending champion: Kristie Smith Web site: www.symetratour.com

Encompass ChampionshipDate: June 21-23Place: North Shore Country Club, GlenviewDirections: Take Interstate 55 north toInterstate 294 north. Merge onto DempsterStreet (U.S. 14 east) and turn left onto N.Greenwood Ave. Turn right at W. Golf Road, leftonto Waukegan Road and right onto GlenviewRoad.Tickets: Daily $20, children under 18 freeDefending champion: First year ChampionsTour eventInformation: (888) 302-5446Web site: www.encompasschampionship.com

John Deere ClassicDate: July 8-14Place: TPC at Deere Run, SilvisDirections: Take Interstate 74 west toInterstate 80 west. Follow for six miles andthen take Illinois 5 west off I-80 toward EastMoline. Follow signs to parking.Tickets: Daily $24 (advance), $28 (gate); one-day clubhouse ticket $34.Defending champion: Zach JohnsonInformation: (800) 336-4655Web site: www.johndeereclassic.com

BMW ChampionshipDate: Sept. 12-15Place: Conway Farms Golf Club, Lake ForestDirections: Take Interstate 55 north to Tri-State Tollway north (1-294). Exit east on TownLine Road (Illinois 60). Turn right at thesecond traffic light (Conway Farms Drive).Tickets: Single-day ticket, $40; Weekly ticketbook, $100; Any day practice round ticket, $10Defending champion: Rory McIlroyInformation: (847) 724-4600.Web site: www.BMWChampionshipUSA.com

2013 PGA Tour schedule April 1-7: Valero Texas Open, San AntonioApril 8-14: Masters, Augusta, Ga.April 15-21: RBC Heritage, Hilton Head Island,S.C.April 22-28: Zurich Classic, New OrleansApril 29-May 5: Wells Fargo Championship,Charlotte, N.C.May 6-12: The Players Championship, PonteVedra Beach, Fla.May 13-19: HP Byron Nelson Championship,Irving, Texas

May 20-26: Crowne Plaza Invitational, FortWorth, TexasMay 27-June 2: The Memorial Tournament,Dublin, OhioJune 3-9: FedEx St. Jude Classic, MemphisJune 10-16: U.S. Open, Ardmore, Pa.June 17-23: Travelers Championship,Cromwell, Conn.June 24-30: AT&T National, Bethesda, Md.July 1-7: The Greenbrier Classic, White SulphurSprings, W.V.July 8-14: John Deere Classic, Silvis.July 15-21: Open Championship, East Lothian,ScotlandJuly 15-21: True South Classic, Madison, Miss.July 22-28: RBC Canadian Open, Oakville,OntarioJuly 29-Aug. 4: WGC-Bridgestone Invitational,Akron, OhioJuly 29-Aug. 4: Reno-Tahoe Open, Reno, Nev.Aug. 5-11: PGA Championship, Rochester, N.Y.Aug. 12-18: Wyndham Championship,Greensboro, N.C.Aug. 19-25: The Barclays, Jersey City, N.J.Aug. 26-Sept. 2: Deutsche BankChampionship, Norton, Mass.Sept. 9-15: BMW Championship, Lake Forest.Sept. 16-22: Tour Championship, AtlantaSept. 30-Oct. 6: The Presidents Cup, Dublin,Ohio

2013 LPGA Tour scheduleApril 4-7: Kraft Nabisco, Rancho Mirage, Calif.April 17-20: Lotte Championship, Kapolei,Oahu, HawaiiApril 25-28: North Texas LPGA Shootout,Irving, TexasMay 2-5: Kingsmill Championship,Williamsburg, Va.May 16-19: Mobile Bay LPGA Classic, Mobile,Ala.May 23-26: Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic,Paradise Island, BahamasMay 31-June 2: ShopRite LPGA ClassicPresented by Acer, Galloway, N.J.June 6-9: Wegmans LPGA Championship,Pittsford, N.Y.June 21-23: Walmart NW Championshippresented by P&G, Rogers, Ark.June 27-30: U.S. Women’s Open,Southampton, N.Y.July 11-14: Manulife Financial LPGA Classic,Waterloo, Ontario, CanadaJuly 18-21: Marathon Classic presented byOwens Corning & O-I, Sylvania, OhioAug. 1-4: Ricoh Women’s British Open, Fife,ScotlandAug. 16-18: The Solheim Cup, Parker, Colo.Aug. 22-25: CN Canadian Women’s Open,Edmonton, Alberta

Aug. 30-Sept. 1: Portland Classic presented bySafeway, Portland, Ore.Sept. 12-15: The Evian, Evian-les-Bains,FranceOct. 3-6: Reignwood Pine Valley LPGA Classic,Beijing, ChinaOct. 10-13: Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, KualaLumpur, MalaysiaOct. 17-20: KEB Hana Bank Championship,Incheon, KoreaOct. 24-27: Sunrise LPGA TaiwanChampionship, TaiwanNov. 7-10: Mizuno Classic, Shima-Shi, JapanNov. 14-17: Lorena Ochoa Invitational,Guadalajara, MexicoNov. 21-24: CME Group Titleholders, Naples,Fla.

Champions TourMarch 15-17: Toshiba Classic, Newport Beach,Calif.March 22-24: Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic,Biloxi.April 19-21: Greater Gwinnett Championship,Duluth, Ga.April 26-28: Liberty Mutual Insurance Legendsof Golf, Savannah, Ga.May 3-5: Insperity Championship, TheWoodlands, TexasMay 23-26: Senior PGA Championship, St.LouisMay 31-June 2: Principal Charity Classic, WestDes Moines, IowaJune 6-9: Regions Tradition, Shoal Creek, Ala.June 21-23: Encompass Championship,Glenview.June 27-30: Senior Players Championship,PittsburghJuly 11-14: U.S. Senior Open, Omaha, Neb.July 25-28: Senior Open Championship,Southport, EnglandAug. 2-4: 3M Championship, Blaine, Minn.Aug. 16-18: Dick’s Sporting Goods Open,Endicott, N.Y.Aug. 22-23: Boeing Classic, Snoquaimie,Wash.Aug. 30-Sept. 1: Calgary Golf Classic, Calgary,AlbertaSept. 6-8: Montreal Championship, Sainte-Julie, QuebecSept. 20-22: Pacific Links HawaiiChampionship, KapoleiSept. 27-29: Nature Valley First Tee Open,Monterey Peninsula, Calif.Oct. 11-13: SAS Championship, Cary, N.C.Oct. 18-20: Greater Hickory Classic, Conover,N.C.Oct. 25-27: AT&T Championship, San AntonioOct. 31-Nov. 3: Charles Schwab CupChampionship, San Francisco

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