- Honma BERES Aizu Line: Straight from the heart of Japan
Aizu-Wakamatsu City is remote by Japanese standards: just over two hours north of Tokyo by Shinkansen (bullet train), followed by a connection of another hour or so by local train. During the winter, heavy mountain snows can block those local tracks completely. The region’s isolation was a reason it became one of the final strongholdsContinue reading “Honma BERES Aizu Line: Straight from the heart of Japan” - Should I play or will it snow, now? 2022 Holiday Gift Guide for golfers in all climes
Every winter, I think to myself: “Will I be able to get out to play before spring?” Despite living in central Illinois, sometimes I do – I worry about climate change while teeing it up on some random 45-degree February day. If you happen to live in a climate more conducive to year-round play, countContinue reading “Should I play or will it snow, now? 2022 Holiday Gift Guide for golfers in all climes” - Pfau rhymes with “Wow!” Indiana University’s new home course dazzles
Big-league universities should have big-league golf courses – at least they should if they dream of competing at the top level of college golf. Indiana University in Bloomington is a stalwart of the Big 10 Conference in many sports, but their men’s and women’s golf programs have historically lagged behind many of the conference peers.Continue reading “Pfau rhymes with “Wow!” Indiana University’s new home course dazzles” - Golf in the Midnight Sun at Iceland’s Brautarholt Golf Course
The clubhouse at Brautarholt Golf Course outside of Reykjavik, 2 a.m. on the Summer Solstice It was 9:30 p.m., June 21—Summer Solstice, 2019—when Gunnar Pálsson picked me up at Hotel Frón in Reykjavik. Soon joining us in the Brautarholt Golf Course shuttle were four test pilots from Phoenix and a couple from outside Toronto. WeContinue reading “Golf in the Midnight Sun at Iceland’s Brautarholt Golf Course” - Sandals Emerald Bay Resort and Golf Course are Bahamian Gems
The view from our room was awfully hard to say good-bye to when it was time to head home. The water around Great Exuma Island in the Bahamas is one of the most recognizable landmarks to astronauts 249 miles overhead. The irradiant blue-green hues are unrivaled elsewhere on the plant, as tides rush in andContinue reading “Sandals Emerald Bay Resort and Golf Course are Bahamian Gems” - Any list of greatest Midwest golf resorts must include French Lick Resort
Golf resorts in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions are often overlooked in favor of southern or coastal golf getaways. But some of the best family golf vacation spots in the nation – and some of the best deals – can be found in America’s heartland. One Midwest golf resort that arguably more history andContinue reading “Any list of greatest Midwest golf resorts must include French Lick Resort” - TimberStone Golf Course at Pine Mountain Ski & Golf Resort: Gateway to the UP
Iron Mountain sounds like a name borrowed from a fantasy novel populated with elves and titans and dragons. But Iron Mountain, Michigan, is a real place. It lies just across the Menominee River, which marks the state line between Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (or UP). Instead of mythical beings, Iron Mountain is populated withContinue reading “TimberStone Golf Course at Pine Mountain Ski & Golf Resort: Gateway to the UP” - Greywalls in Marquette, Michigan: Nothing like you’ve ever seen
Lake Superior is so large and deep that it could contain all of the other Great Lakes plus three more the size of Lake Eerie. As immortalized in the classic Gordon Lightfoot song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” Lake Superior can be unforgiving, with 100-foot walls of icy gray water pounding ships and shoreContinue reading “Greywalls in Marquette, Michigan: Nothing like you’ve ever seen“ - Tee UP: Island Resort and Casino’s Sweetgrass and Sage Run Golf Courses
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – known as The UP – is thought of as a dense wilderness inhabited by more black bears, gray wolves, and white-tailed deer than people. There’s a reason for this: there are actually far more bears, wolves, and deer than people in the UP. So naturally, the UP is a paradise forContinue reading “Tee UP: Island Resort and Casino’s Sweetgrass and Sage Run Golf Courses“ - Island Resort and Casino is a Sure Bet for Golf in Michigan’s UP
“Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circum spice” is Michigan’s state motto. If you don’t happen to read Latin, the English translation is, “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.” And a more apt state motto you will not find. No matter where you are standing in Michigan, you’re on a peninsula. The lower peninsulaContinue reading “Island Resort and Casino is a Sure Bet for Golf in Michigan’s UP” - The Forge at Palmer Hills: The family that putts together has fun together
The Quad Cities of Moline and Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, offer bountiful golf. Nearby Silvis, Illinois, even hosts a PGA Tour Event, The John Deere Classic, at the spectacular TPC at Deere Run. But the area’s courses don’t just cater to the core golf demographic. There are also plenty of opportunitiesContinue reading “The Forge at Palmer Hills: The family that putts together has fun together“ - The future is bright for Kokopelli Golf Club in Marion, IL
Kokopelli Golf Club in Marion has seen its share of ups and downs over the past 25 years. The Steve Smyers design has seen multiple changes in ownership since its founding, including a group that included Smyers himself. The most recent owners are Rodney Cabaness and Shad Zimbro, local businessmen who have been at theContinue reading “The future is bright for Kokopelli Golf Club in Marion, IL” - Grand Geneva Resort and Spa: From bunnies to birdies
The Lake Geneva area of southern Wisconsin has been the preferred getaway for Chicagoans ever since 1871, when Chicago burned and industrialist families fled the remains of the city smoldering in the sweltering summer heat. The shores of Lake Geneva are lined with the “summer cottages” of families with names like Wrigley and Maytag –Continue reading “Grand Geneva Resort and Spa: From bunnies to birdies” - SentryWorld reasserts dominance in Wisconsin destination golf
Before Whistling Straits. Before Erin Hills. Before Wild Rock. Before Sand Valley. Before all of these Wisconsin “destination” golf courses, there was SentryWorld. SentryWorld debuted in 1982 in Stevens Point, when Sentry Insurance commissioned Robert Trent Jones, Jr., to build a course to cater to locals and business colleagues as well as attract golfers fromContinue reading “SentryWorld reasserts dominance in Wisconsin destination golf” - Honma TW757 Fairway Woods boast tradition and tech
Japan is a golf-crazed nation. The sport is associated with status, leisure, and wealth. When I lived there in the early and mid 1990s, I would sometimes spend $200 in an evening just at a driving range–and the range was packed with golf nuts like me. Honma is one of the top golf equipment companiesContinue reading “Honma TW757 Fairway Woods boast tradition and tech” - Bloodline Vale: Stand up for your putts
You’ve likely seen the infomercials for the putters that stand up behind your ball. This review is NOT about those putters. The Bloodline Vale (HPP) ($299) does stand up on its own, but there is no infomercial for Bloodline putters, the original self-standing putters. The Vale is Bloodline’s newest addition. It’s a mallet with aContinue reading “Bloodline Vale: Stand up for your putts” - Fyre Lake Golf Course is a magical place
PGA Certified Director of Golf Mark Krizic took over ownership of Fyre Lake Golf Course in July, 2020. Nearly two years later, his initial assessment of the Nicklaus-designed course has only grown more certain. “When I first came here, I said, ‘This is a top-10 Illinois course,’” remembers Krizic. “Look around at this property. There’sContinue reading “Fyre Lake Golf Course is a magical place” - Edison Wedges: Invented for the average player
Terry Koehler has been in the golf equipment industry for 40 years. He began with Ray Cook Putters in the early 1980s. He joined Ben Hogan Golf in the early 90s. He founded both Eidolon Golf and Scor Wedges, where he developed the first progressive weight wedge system. Then he brought Ben Hogan back toContinue reading “Edison Wedges: Invented for the average player”
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