Time Flies When You’re Having Fun

About four and a half years ago my friend and former colleague Val Russell called to tell me he was thinking of starting a local golf paper. He asked if I was interested in being his editor, and I must admit I was skeptical. A lot of people have a lot of great ideas that never wind up materializing.

This one, however, actually materialized. It’s now 2013, and here we are wrapping up our fourth year of publishing. The time has gone quickly, and it’s been a lot of fun. Who wouldn’t want to edit and write stories about golf?

This year has been particularly enjoyable. From an editorial perspective, Chicagoland Golf has really hit its stride. With quality, plugged-in writers such as Len Ziehm, Rory Spears, Noah Liberman, Jim Suttie and Mike Stokes and a talented designer in Jason Clary, we’ve developed a keen understanding of what makes the local golf community tick. And that, after all, has been our mission from day one: to cover the golf happenings in the Chicago area more thoroughly than anyone else.

There certainly was a lot to keep us busy in 2013. Though the weather didn’t cooperate early on—does it ever?—the season blossomed into something truly memorable. Here are just some of the highlights:

• The 50-and-over Champions Tour came back to the Chicago area for the first time since 2002 with the Encompass Championship in June at North Shore Country Club in Glenview. The event drew well, and it was won by Craig “The Walrus” Stadler, one of the most charismatic figures in senior golf. Chicago is a big-time city that deserves big-time tournaments, so this was a step in the right direction.
• If you’re a regular reader of this publication, you probably noticed that Mistwood Golf Club in Romeoville received a lot of ink this year. It was well deserved. We love to see courses in the area take strides to improve themselves, and Mistwood has done just that. In addition to significant upgrades to the course itself, Mistwood created a state-of-the-art Performance Center. Both the course and the center have received rave reviews.
• Speaking of Mistwood, it hosted the Phil Kosin Illinois Women’s Open again this year, from July 31–August 2. The 19th edition of this tournament was bigger and better than ever, attracting a record number of pros (45). This event has done wonders to enhance the profile of women’s golf in the area.
• Another tournament that keeps getting bigger and better is the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic near the Quad Cities. This year’s tournament was among the most exciting yet. Jordan Spieth was the winner, but not before withstanding a three-player playoff that took five holes to settle.
• The game continues to grow locally at the grassroots level, as evidenced by the number of talented prep players. Remember names such as Arlington Heights’ Doug Ghim, Crystal Lake’s Alexandra Harkins, Winnetka’s Jack Junge and Addison’s Dana Gattone—you’ll likely be hearing them a lot in the future.
• After a year’s absence, the PGA’s BMW Championship returned to the Chicago area. This time it was played at Conway Farms in Lake Forest. It was the first major tournament ever hosted by Conway Farms, and despite rain that pushed the final round to Monday, the course held up much better than some critics expected.

All of this bodes well for 2014. And we here at Chicagoland Golf can’t wait to bring you the news each month.