Illinois Golfer EveryEvery publicpublic facilityfacility inin IllinoisIllinois inin ourour bigbig coursecourse guideguide IllinoisIllinois GolferGolfer DigitalDigital EditionEdition AprilApril 20182018 JacksonJackson ParkPark remains...remains... TheThe $60$60 millionmillion questionquestion Page 2 • April 2018 • Illinois Golfer www.illinoisgolfer.net ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The Buzz In This Issue –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– News –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dick Nugent: Old-school designer 4 Rolex times out TV ads Brent Wadsworth: Empire-builder 5 This week brings the Masters – our preview be- ages them to become lifelong players. 2017 In Review 6 Pat Jemsek mourned by all 7 gins on page 10 – and the uncommon concept of few In addition to being a great way to learn about the 2018 Preview 8 commercials crowding out the purpose of the television game, caddieing provides life-changing benefits that Masters: The stars align 10 broadcast. That’s a Masters tradition on CBS that, until are instrumental to their individual growth. Jackson Park price goes up 14 the Players Championship copied it a few years ago, Participants in the effort include the World Golf North Shore golf in flux 16 truly was unlike any other. Foundation, United States Golf Association, PGA of Opinion –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Not any more. Beginning this year, most USGA America, The First Tee and Youth on Course. Grill Room: The return of Tiger Woods 3 telecasts on Fox and its companion FS1 cable network “Over the past few years, numerous leading golf Departments will have no commercials beyond billboards for watch- organizations have discussed the importance of creat- –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– maker Rolex. ing a governing body for youth caddieing, and we’re Around Illinois: Meyer’s Valspar show 18 The Schedule 20 The USGA and Fox struck a multi-year deal with excited to see that the WGA is spearheading this im- The Directory 22 the Swiss timing giant to underwrite the broadcasts portant initiative,” said World Golf Foundation CEO Tour Guide 31 with a bare minimum of mentions, except for the U.S. Steve Mona. “We’re all looking forward to working to- Open, where the plan of the first three years on Fox gether to help bring this effort to life.” – commercials until the last hour – will still be in effect. The overall goal of Carry the Game is to increase But even the U.S. Women’s Open, this year’s first the number of youth caddies – and the diversity of Illinois Golfer Fox golfcast, will be effectively commercial-free. Rolex those caddies – by helping to establish additional cad- –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– will sponsor occasional golf-related promotional an- die opportunities at golf clubs nationwide. Carry the April 2018 Digital Edition • Vol. 4, No. 1 nouncements to give the broadcast crew a breather. Game will also promote youth caddie programs as a –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Now, if someone could get the PGA of America to way to create future golfers and preserve and enhance Published monthly April through December, do the same for the PGA Championship, perhaps there the tradition of caddieing within the game of golf. with occasional special issues –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– It will offer resources including caddie training ma- would be as much golf on CBS that week as there will Publisher & Editor Tim Cronin be this week. terials and certification, best practices on creating and –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– New caddie push by WGA: “Carry the Game” managing programs, and knowledge and expertise on Join us online at www.illinoisgolfer.net Write us at P.O. Box 541, Worth, Illinois 60482 is the name of a new initiative focusing on promoting all caddie-related topics. E-mail us at [email protected] youth caddieing led by the Western Golf Association. “Through Carry the Game, our goal is to provide Call us at (708) 638-1164 It’s described as an advocacy group introducing young people with an early introduction to golf by cre- Follow us on Twitter: @illinoisgolfer –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– young students to golf by creating additional opportuni- ating life-changing opportunities to work as a caddie,” Display / classified advertising: said WGA president and CEO John Kaczkowski. Call (708) 638-1164 for particulars. ties for them to train and work as caddies and encour- Illinois Golfer assumes no responsibility for unsolicited ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– materials or claims of advertisers. Caveat emptor. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The Cover The revised design for the Jackson Park and South Shore golf facility, as envisioned by architect © 2018 Illinois Golfer LLC, a unit of Cronin Multimedia Beau Welling of Tiger Woods’ design firm. / Chicago Park District, TGR Design Page 3 • April 2018 • Illinois Golfer www.illinoisgolfer.net ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The Grill Room by Tim Cronin The return of singular brilliance n this space a year ago, it was written: and as the weeks have gone He’s the betting favorite – 9/1 on many Las “A back so bad that you can’t play, can’t by, the novelty of seeing him Vegas odds boards – because casinos love loot- practice, some days can’t get out of bed, back on a golf course has ing their customers. But if he wins at Augusta, means there’s no chance to return and play been replaced by a sense of handles those steep hills, handles the surgeon’s- Ieven middling golf on a regular basis.” wonder. touch chips that cause others to buckle and the Those words were, of course, written about First, for some of us, baby’s breath putts across and down slopes that Tiger Woods. for the work the doctors did. he’s previously gauged with frightening regular- Oops. It appears our physicians’ license has Then for his ability to return ity, then he’d be a legitimate favorite for any expired. Against all odds, and even after a pill-in- mechanically to a swing that tournament as long as he’s healthy. duced DUI that found him slumped in his car by a served him well in the past. Tiger Woods Just like before. Florida highway, Tiger Woods is back. Finally, in his recent starts, that he’s been There are, of course, two differences between That is, Tiger Woods is back because his back competitive once again. A threat. A birdie machine. the Woods of 2008 and the Woods of 2018. is back. The one thing Woods hasn’t been able to ac- One is the additional decade on his body. Mended. Fused, actually, in the type of opera- complish yet is to finish the job. To sink the birdie Leave aside his back for a moment. His knees tion a handful of hockey players have had over putt when necessary, or hit the big approach that have been operated on more than anyone this side the years to permit them to return to the rink. cozies up to the cup and allows an eagle to fly. of Bobby Orr. Those delicate hinges could cause After three microdiscectomies to rid himself But the progression has been as steady as it more trouble at any time. of pain and allow him to both walk and swing a has been unexpected given the long string stops The other is the depth of the field he’ll face club, and a poorer result each time, Woods went and false starts since his victory on a broken leg in any given week. Dustin Johnson, Rory Mc- for the bundle. – to this point the most amazing success of his Ilroy, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Jason Day Gary Barnett, whose coaching took North- career – at Torrey Pines in the 2008 U.S. Open. and Bubba Watson were rumors a decade ago. western to an undefeated Big Ten season and the A decade ago. When he was 32 and, presum- Oh, and Phil Mickelson pulled one foot out of the 1996 Rose Bowl, often spoke of the difference ing good health, the future was still bright. career grave and stepped back into the winner’s between a risk and a gamble. A risk, Barnett said, If that progression continues this week at Au- circle a few weeks ago. was taking a chance you believed had a great gusta National, if Woods contends, it will prove Woods can no longer step on a practice tee chance of paying off. A gamble was just that, to all of us who thought he was finished that we and intimidate a field. playing long odds with little chance of a payoff. were wrong. That’s great. Competition is always prefer- Woods, after three risks that failed, took a If the progression accelerates and he wins the able to a parade when the Masters begins on the gamble. 82nd Masters, garnering an 18th major champi- back nine on Sunday. If Woods is in the mix a few It paid off. onship to close to within two of Jack Nicklaus, more times the next few years, hurrah. If not, it’s So far in his return, at least, Woods not only then the man who for the last few years has been pleasing to see that his health will allow him to go walks without pain, he can swing the same way, merely an old Tiger will be the Tiger of old. out on his own terms. Page 4 • April 2018 • Illinois Golfer www.illinoisgolfer.net ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dick Nugent • 1931-2018 A creative old-school designer By Tim Cronin in nearly every respect, they developed the new ––––– American style.” ick Nugent didn’t like to sit still in his It was carried both to new courses and to work. those he renovated, Brauer noted. A golf-course architect, he could “He reminded me often that we probably do have stayed with the tried and true, as more for golf by designing a good green for some Ddid his mentor, Robert Bruce Harris, who churned rural course than building a big budget course for out course after course with similar maintenance- high dollar players,” Brauer said.