Chicago Public Golf

I haven’t played yet in the Chicago area. That gets me down. I need to get my life in order. However, I was heartened with some great news and some decent coverage in the local papers today.

PINE MEADOW SAVED
I had been hearing that Pine Meadow was on the brink of being closed. The story that I’d heard was that Jemsek and the Chicago Archdiocese couldn’t agree on a deal. Well, Len Ziehm says in the Sun-Times today they have reached a deal, but no time frame was released. Great news.

BILLY CASPER GOLF PURCHASES WHISPER CREEK
Len Ziehm also released this news about Whisper Creek today, but I don’t necessarily think it’s news. I think I’ve known this since early in the year, but maybe it was just rumor. Or maybe I just know more about golf than Len Ziehm (doubtful). Regardless, Billy Casper Golf has done wonders with George Dunne, so I’m sure they’ll do great things with Whisper Creek. I’ve never played it, but I will definitely make the long haul out to Huntley this year.

SUN-TIMES LISTS AREA GOLF SCHEDULE…
…but they forgot to mention the US Bank Championship in Milwaukee and other key tournaments. I don’t get it. Here is the schedule the Sun-Times posted for TOUR EVENTS in todays paper:

May 31-June 3 LaSalle Bank Open, The Glen Club (Nationwide Tour)
June 1-3 Aurora Health Care Championship, Geneva National (Futures Tour)
June 8-10 Horseshoe Casino Classic, Lost Marsh (Futures Tour)
June 29-July 1 Team WLF.org Classic, Kankakee Elks (Futures Tour)
July 12-15 John Deere Classic, TPC Deere Run (PGA Tour)
Sept 6-9 BMW Championship, Cog Hill, (PGA Tour)

That’s all!

I’m not quite sure why they left out the three events below. Kohler and Milwaukee are both closer than the John Deere Classic in Silvis, IL. I don’t think they’re anti-Wisconsin either because they list the Futures Tour event in Wisconsin. Oh well, that’s what I’m here for.

June 14-17 Mich. Ultra Futures Tour Players Championship, Decatur, IL (Futures Tour)
July 5-8 U.S. Senior Open, Whistling Straights (Champions Tour)
July 19-22 US Bank Championship, Brown Deere Park (PGA Tour)

One last thing, check out Ed Sherman’s comments about John Daly in today’s Birdies and Bogeys. You go Ed!

For some reason, I’m infatuated with the question of whether golf is a sport. I think it’s a sport and I think people who play golf are athletes. However, I don’t often refer to it as a sport. I usually call it a game or a sports and gaming pursuit just to avoid the argument. Sometimes arguments about the sport vs non-sport issue clutter up conversations about how great the game is, so I avoid them.

It’s clear that many great athletes feel that golf is a sport and that people who play golf are athletes. Golf Digest has a big article this month on athletes that play golf. Or if you want, just check out Ed Sherman’s take from the Chicago Tribune.

There are a couple of things to take from this. First, Ed Sherman rules and if you’re a Chicago golf fan and not reading his blog, you lose. Second, I’m on the cutting edge because I’ve been compiling stories about athletes playing golf for awhile. Check out my posts below:

• Sterling Sharpe
• Brian Urlacher
• C.C. Sabathia

This will be an ongoing theme (athletes playing golf), so let me know now if you are sick of it and maybe I’ll dial it back.

Picture it, it’s a completely calm day out as you walk up to the green yet you notice the flag is not drooping, but stiffly standing parallel to the ground. And in fact, there’s an advertisement for Joe’s Bar and Grill on it with a coupon code for a half-price burger if you mention the name of the golf course. How would that make you feel? Would it cheapen the serene beauty and intense competition you are embroiled in? Would you lose focus as you are hovering over that four-footer for the match?

I think not. I don’t have any problems with a little sponsorship on the golf course. And neither does Rockford based Midwest Golf Managment (looks like a division of a company called Fetelli). They’ve invented a flag that is about half rigid and half fluid called the Ad Flag. On the rigid half you can put your course name or an advertisement and you never have to be concerned about it being obscured on a calm day when the flag droops. But, it still retains some of the features of a loose flag because half of the flag flaps in the wind.

I read an article about this in Golf World. The little article talks about the interesting take on income opportunities that Midwest Golf Management has. They propose charging the advertiser on an advertising-view basis that is positive Google-ish. You, as the golf course owner, go to the potential advertiser and say, “I get 20,000 paid rounds per year on my golf course so I can guarantee that many sets of eyeballs on your advertisement annually if you sponsor an Ad Flag on my first hole. In fact, I will only charge you for each “view” so you only pay $0.08 per view.”

Check out the link and let me know what you think. Sounds reasonable to me I guess. You can see for yourself if you play a Rockford park district course his summer, because they’ve apparently incorporated it on their greens. The industry has been doing it for years on tee markers, but may not be using the “advertising view” model to charge advertisers. Heck, if it makes the industry healthier, I’m all for it, because this sponsorship model is here to stay.