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<\/a>Traverse City G & CC<\/p><\/div>\n
Best in-state golf experience<\/strong>: A threesome of golf cronies played Traverse City Golf & Country Club and we all loved it. Excellent playing conditions, a walkable and friendly design, and agreeable weather all added up to a memorable day.<\/p>\n Best out-of-state golf experience<\/strong>: It\u2019s hard to beat Naples, Florida, in the winter for exceptional golf. One of the premier clubs is Grey Oaks where I\u2019ve had the privilege of playing in its Men\u2019s Invitational the last few years. Everything is expertly handled at Grey Oaks and the golf over its three distinct courses is top-notch. My sleeper course in Naples this past year was the rebranded Talis Park, a marvelous collaboration of Pete Dye and Greg Norman, formerly known as Tuscany Reserve.<\/p>\n Best hotel accommodations:<\/strong> Santa Barbara\u2019s Bacara Resort and Spa overlooking the Pacific Ocean is superb for service and spectacular views. As a bonus, it was terrific by-passing LAX and flying directly into Santa Barbara Airport, only minutes away from Bacara.<\/p>\n Best historic golf tidbit<\/strong>: In an interview with legendary designer Pete Dye, he observed: \u201cWhen Ben Hogan won the \u201953 U.S. Open at Oakmont those greens rolled only at a six\u2014if they had a stimpmeter.\u201d<\/p>\n Best unsung senior amateur event<\/strong>: Never having played in Battle Creek\u2019s 36-hole City Senior Championship, I was floored by the turnout of over a 100+ golfers of various handicaps and ages competing in a fun event. Hats off to PGA Pro Ron Osborne and company for all of their efforts.<\/p>\n Mediterra's Beach Club<\/p><\/div>\n Best grandchild club amenity<\/strong>: Easily goes to Mediterra in Naples. Besides two outstanding Fazio courses, Mediterra offers a member-only Beach Club with swimming pool overlooking the Gulf. When it comes to beach-happy grandchildren, Mediterra is one-up on the competition.<\/p>\n Best day watching golf<\/strong>: Watching Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson team up and win 4 & 3 in their Friday morning Ryder Cup match against Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia was as good as it gets. Stationing myself later at the drive-able 15th hole at Medinah, I patiently waited for the foursome and was richly rewarded with Bradley\u2019s clinching and ear-splitting putt for birdie.<\/p>\n Best golf lesson<\/strong>: PGA teaching pro Mike Sullivan at The Meadows in Allendale got my swing fundamentals in good shape early in the year when he espoused a proper spine angle at address. Runner-up: Tour Tempo\u2019s breakthrough research demonstrated at the West Michigan Golf Show was enlightening on optimum swing tempo. Most golfers swing too slow.<\/p>\n<\/a>