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Special Offer For GolfTrips.com Newsletter Subscribers
Located in Burlington, Spirit Hollow has been ranked as the #1 Best Course Your Can Play in Iowa by Golfweek magazine for the past 5+ years. Course designer Rick Jacobson created Spirit Hollow to allow golfers the opportunity to use every club in the bag, providing options to execute different shots at every hole. Playing Spirit Hollow is about Risk/Reward; after a bogey hole, you want the option to make par and get back on track.
The goal at Spirit Hollow has always been to provide a pure golf experience combined with warm hospitality for anyone passionate about the game. After golf, you’ll find comfortable Lodge and Cabin accommodations, a casual food & beverage option at Lambo’s and the Shankopotamus Golf Academy powered by Toptracer Range that lets you play golf until they shut the lights off.
If you live in Chicago or St. Louis, you should definitely take advantage of their Fly. Play. Stay. Explore. golf package which includes round-trip airfare, unlimited golf, airport transport in Burlington and nightly lodging. The cost for the 3 day/2 night option starts at $479 per person, plus tax.
To view all our stay & play packages, visit www.spirithollow.com
SPECIAL OFFER FOR OUR READERS
Book a Deluxe or Premium golf trip for a stay any Sunday-Thursday in July and receive 25% off your golf and lodging. Mention Spirit18 to receive the discount.
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Photo Credit: Brandon Carter - Sand Valley Resort
By Matt Tevsh - Midwest Golfing Magazine
When the Keiser family started its Sand Valley Golf Resort journey over a decade ago, purchasing 1,700 acres of red pine tree plantation land, there was one part of the property early on that seemed destined to be the first course in a potentially larger plan.
As such, that specific plot in Central Wisconsin, which is now the western part of the current development, was the first site to be cleared. As Michael Keiser Jr. (who owns and operates Sand Valley with brother, Chris) remembers, it in some ways was the best site on what they initially purchased.
For various reasons, however, it had gone essentially untouched. The Keisers went ahead and built three other sandy, links courses (and a short course) on different sites near the location. But it was only a matter of time before Michael Jr. came back to his initial attraction.
The opening of Sedge Valley this summer has finally fulfilled his instinct. The course is the centerpiece of the Sedge Village development at Sand Valley which continues to be arguably the Midwest's hottest golf resort.
If variety is the spice of life, then the newest course at Sand Valley fits the Resort bill nicely. Sedge Valley is much different than any of the other "regulation" courses at the Resort. The most obvious difference is on the scorecard where the 18-hole routing tips out at just over 5,800 yards as a non-traditional par 68. Unlike Mammoth Dunes and Sand Valley (the first course at the Resort), sand blowouts and large sand waste areas do not bracket the fairways and dominate the landscape. The greens are smaller - the biggest green (No. 3) is about the same size as the smallest at Mammoth. Bunkers are more sunken and strategically placed with natural-looking edges. Holes are more classically styled and the setting is more intimate, by nature and design.
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New event in Michigan expands and elevates the Midwest stretch
The Epson Tour announced today a new tournament coming to the 2025 schedule, the Great Lakes Championship at The Highlands. The inaugural event will be held from June 9-15, 2025, at The Highlands located in Harbor Springs, Mich.
"We're excited to announce the addition of a new event in Michigan next year. The Petoskey Area is well known as a tremendous golf market, and I know our athletes will be excited to visit the community and take on the challenges that The Heather at The Highlands will offer," said Jody Brothers, the Epson Tour's Chief Business and Operating Officer. "With the help from the Great Lakes Sports Commission and the BOYNE Golf, we're confident that this event will instantly become an athlete favorite and help prepare them for their ultimate goal of playing on the LPGA Tour."
The Great Lakes Championship at The Highlands will offer a $250,000 purse and a $37,500 winner's check. This new event in Harbor Springs will mark the third Epson Tour event in Michigan - joining the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship in Battle Creek, and the Island Resort Championship in Harris - and will also showcase the beauty of Michigan golf while testing the Epson Tour athletes with a Tour-worthy track. This expansion of the Midwest stretch continues the Tour's efforts in creating regional clusters of events to simplify travel experiences for players each week.
"Bringing the Epson Tour to The Heather Golf Course at The Highlands at Harbor Springs will have a big impact on the Petoskey area and the northern Michigan region," said Executive Director, Eric Marvin. "The expansion of the Tour's Michigan stretch will not only showcase the unparalleled beauty and unique charm of northern Michigan but also promises to create significant economic impact and international exposure. We are confident that adding another high-profile Epson Tour event will enhance our reputation as a premier destination for golf and we look forward to welcoming the world's top women's golfers to northern Michigan in 2025."
"We are excited and honored to host the Epson Tour's Great Lakes Championship at The Highlands," said Mike Chumbler, president and general manager of The Highlands. "Hosting this prominent event underscores our commitment to golf and further highlights northern Michigan as a premier destination for exceptional golf. The beauty of northern Michigan, coupled with the high level of competition the Epson Tour offers, will make this a memorable event for players and spectators alike."
Additional details will be provided when the 2025 schedule is released later this year.
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The undisputed category leader has added wind speed and direction making the world’s best golf laser rangefinder even better.
Bushnell Golf, the definitive #1 laser rangefinder brand in golf, has introduced the new Pro X3+ Laser Rangefinder. Building off the success of the previous model, the Pro X3+ now shows wind speed and direction in the display. This added feature will provide the golfer an added layer of confidence to determine how these wind conditions will affect their shot at any given moment.
Used and trusted by more than 99 percent of PGA Tour players, Bushnell Golf continues to evolve advanced technologies with the Pro X3+. Packing all of Bushnell’s market-leading innovations into a fully waterproof, rubber armored metal housing, the new Pro X3+ is the most powerful, precise laser rangefinder to date.
“The Pro X3+ has taken the world’s best-performing rangefinder and taken it to the next level with the addition of wind data.” said William Flood, Bushnell Golf Global Product Manager. “By now offering wind speed and direction, along with the best compensated distances available, the Pro X3+ provides golfers with an unmatched combination of accuracy and performance.”
The Pro X3+’s features industry leading technologies that now include wind speed and direction, Slope with Elements, and PinSeeker with Visual JOLT. The Pro X3+ ranges flags at 600+ yards, offers a stunning 7x magnification, and has an enhanced ultra-bright backlit dual display to provide crisp, clear data output in the LCD.
Pro X3+ Features:
* NEW Wind Speed & Direction when connected to the mobile app
* Slope with “Elements” Compensated Distances with Adjustable Home Elevation
* Dual Display Technology (User can choose between a vivid red or crisp black display)
* Patented Locking Slope-Switch Technology
* Patented PinSeeker with Visual JOLT Technology
* Integrated BITE Magnetic Cart Mount
* IPX7 Fully Waterproof
* Rubber Armored Metal Housing
* Ranges 600+ Yards to a Flag
* 7x Magnification
* Bluetooth Connectivity to Bushnell Golf Mobile App
* Premium Carry Case & CR2 Battery Included
The Pro X3+ will be available at Bushnell Golf retailers nationwide beginning in early Spring and retail for $599.99.
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July 25-27th at Stonehenge GC- Fairfield Glade
Sitting amidst the rolling hills and vast woods on the Cumberland Plateau, Stonehenge Golf Course is a masterpiece. The 6549-yard par 72 layout was brought to life by architect Joe Lee and gets its name from the native stone walls found throughout the property. Bent grass tee boxes, fairways, and greens paired with natural rock outcroppings make way for pristine playing conditions in the heart of the Golf Capital of Tennessee. This will mark the 16th straight year Stonehenge Golf Club and the Fairfield Glade community have hosted the Tennessee Women’s Open.
Competitors at the tournament tell the Tennessee Golf Association that the Tennessee Women’s Open is one of their favorite tournaments of the year because of the community behind it. Walking up to the 18th green at Stonehenge with the area around the green packed with spectators makes their summer season.
About the Tennessee Women’s Open:
Started in 1999, the Tennessee Women’s Open is one of the longest-running women’s Open tournaments in the country. The 54-hole event is split into two divisions, the Championship Division and the Senior Division.
The tournament has been held at Stonehenge Golf Club in Fairfield Glade since 2009. Celebrating 26 years of competition, the Tennessee Women’s Open has consistently attracted top talent from around the globe.
Past winners include current LPGA Professionals Ashli Bunch, Lauren Coughlin and Karlin Beck as well as some of the top amateur golfers in the world like Tennessee Players of the Year Sophie Linder and Lynn Lim, the defending champion at the Tennessee Women’s Open. Her win in 2023 made her just the fourth player in Tennessee golf history to win the Tennessee Women’s Open and Tennessee Women’s Amateur in the same year.
Players to watch:
Lynn Lim (Gallatin) - Winner of the 2023 Tennessee Women’s Open, she became just the fourth player in the history of Tennessee Golf to win the Women’s Open and Tennessee Women’s Amateur in the same year. She won the Tennessee Women’s Amateur in 2022 as well.
Sophie Linder (Carthage) - Currently a collegiate golfer at Ole Miss, Linder made history with her win at the event in 2021, becoming the first female golfer to win the Tennessee Girls’ Junior and Tennessee Women’s Open in the same year. Linder carded another TGA event win in 2023, taking home the TGA Women’s Match Play championship.
Karlie Campbell (Ethridge) - After finishing T3 last year in the Tennessee Women’s Open, Karlie Campbell is another name to watch for. She became just the ninth player ever to win both the TGA Girls’ Junior Championship and the Tennessee PGA Girls Junior Championship in the same year, the first to complete the feat since 1999.
Lauren Slatton (McMinnville) - The future UAB Blazer finished as a semifinalist at the 2024 USGA Women’s Amateur Four-ball at Oak Hills Country Club.
Telerei Hughes (Knoxville) - Won the inaugural Tennessee Women’s Mid-Ameuter in 2017. Adeena Wilcox (Newark, Ohio) - Recorded her first professional win at the 2022 Tennessee Women’s Open with a score of -2. She took the lead on hole 16 of the final round and kept it through the final two holes.
Charlene Chung (Hong Kong) - Just finished her freshman season on the Vanderbilt Women’s Golf Team, but originally hails from Hong Kong. She finished second at the 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational Junior. She finished second at 2023 Hong Kong Ladies Close Amateur & Mid-Amateur Championship.
Mikayla Dubnik (Murrayville, Ga.) - Won the 2023 Georgia Women’s Open, carding a -6 gross score. She plays collegiate golf at Mercer University, where she finished first at the Mercer Invitational and had five Top 20 finishes during the 2022-23 season.
Lauren Thompson (Dothan, Ala.) - Plays collegiate golf for Lipscomb University, where she earned an automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Regional as an individual. She finished in the top-5 six times and earned 7 top-10 finishes over the 2023-24 season. She also was the Individual Champion at the 2023 ASUN Tournament and a medalist at the same tournament in 2024.
Michaela Morard (Huntsville, Ala.) - Morard returns to the field as one of the Tennessee Women’s Open past champions, first claiming victory in 2020 as an amateur. She’s an 11-time Alabama Golf Association champion who just completed her college career at the University of Southern California and plans to compete as a professional at Stonehenge.
Allie Knight (Knoxville) - A teaching professional at Fairways & Greens in Knoxville, Knight is a fierce competitor on the professional circuit. She recently qualified to play in an LPGA Tour event at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, competing with the likes of Allisen Corpuz, Nelly Korda, Brooke Henderson and Charley Hull. Knight has also represented the Tennessee PGA Section the past two years at the annual Challenge Cup matches between the top Tennessee Professionals and Amateurs.
Alyssa Montgomery (Knoxville) - The 2021 Tennessee Women’s Amateur Champion is a perennial contender at the Tennessee Women’s Open. Montgomery finished second in the 23rd Tennessee Women’s Open in 2021and sixth in 2022. After graduating from the University of South Florida this spring, Montgomery will be competing as a professional for the first time at the Tennessee Women’s Open.
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The Battlefield Par 3 Golf Course at Shangri-La was awarded the Oklahoma Travel Industry Association's coveted RedBud Award as the "Best New Attraction in Oklahoma in 2023." The award was presented to Shangri-La representatives at the OTIA RedBud Award ceremonies at The Oklahoma Tourism Conference in Edmond, OK Tuesday, June 11, 2024.
The RedBud Awards represent the highest honor in the tourism industry in Oklahoma. Shangri-La had previously been honored as "Best Lodging in Oklahoma" in 2018 and the resort was named "Best Attraction in Oklahoma" in 2022. The Anchor Activity Park at Shangri-La, which opened in June 2021, was named "Best New Attraction" by OTIA at the 2023 Awards Banquet.
Shangri-La's PGA Director of Golf Ryan Snyder, PGA Head Golf Professional Jerrod Neighbors, and Head Golf Professional at The Battlefield Bradley Jumper were joined by Director of Sales Dana Able. Director of Communications Mike Williams, and Grove Area Chamber of Commerce Amanda Davis to accept the honor which was presented by Oklahoma Travel Industry Association President & CEO James Leewright and Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Director Shelley Zumwalt.
The Battlefield is not your typical par 3 course. The terrain is rugged - like a World War II battlefield set in a wooded area with dramatic elevation changes. The facility has its own clubhouse and turn house concessions and golf carts, as well as a short warm-up facility and an expansive putting green. The full practice facility and driving range remain adjacent to the main Shangri-La club house.
Designed by architects Tom Clark and Kevin Atkinson, with building designs by Mark Thomas, The Battlefield features Bermuda grass fairways and Bent Grass greens, just like the 27-hole Championship course at Shangri-La. Although the course can be walked, golfers who choose that method of play may want to make sure they're in good shape due to dramatic elevation changes. From beginning to end, the 3,000-yard course features a 100-foot change in elevation as the course winds from hilltop to the bank of Grand Lake O' The Cherokees. With multiple tee boxes like the Championship course, difficulty of the course will vary depending on the tee boxes chosen by players.
"The Battlefield is a beautiful, captivating, and purposefully designed short course like no other," says PGA Director of Golf Ryan Snyder. "It's an endlessly fun and engaging experience for golfers of every skill level that also recognizes our brave military personnel, with special commemorations to World War II veterans on every hole. The course has an energy and excitement that, along with our renovated, world-class 27-hole championship course, elevates the golf experience at Shangri-La into the 'Must Play' category among the nation's destination resorts. We're living in Shangri-La's 'Hello, World!' era."
This enjoyable, accessible par-54 course which features holes from 110 to 245 yards, joins the acclaimed 27 championship holes at Shangri-La, the Legends, Heritage and Champions courses (framed elegantly on the shores of the expansive Grand Lake O' The Cherokees) to present an extraordinary 45-hole golfer's paradise that buddies' trip groups and golf aficionados from all over the country will want to add to their bucket list.
"The Battlefield is a unique facility," said Bradley Jumper, Head Golf Professional at The Battlefield. "The facility is obviously beautiful. The piece of land is amazing for a par 3. It's great for players of all ranges - good players can make their game more difficult by changing tees. The patio at the new club house is sensational. It's a spectacular view of the course and a very relaxing atmosphere."
PGA Head Golf Professional Jerrod Neighbors promises players that The Battlefield is not like any Par 3 course golfers may have played. The terrain is rugged. The existence of five tee boxes plus the close-up Felix tees gives golfers the choice of making play as easy or as difficult as they like.
"It's a wonderful, relaxed family atmosphere at The Battlefield," Jerrod says. "It's a place where players are going to want to spend a lot of time. It's a really fun course, but it's challenging. Every hole has a different challenge. There are no cookie-cutter holes on this course; and the greens are difficult enough that, even though every hole is a Par 3, we actually see a lot of three-putts," he laughs.
"It's not like the typical Par 3," Neighbors says. "At most Par 3 courses you find yourself using the same three clubs over and over. The Battlefield isn't like that. Bring all your clubs. You can use them all! Play different tees. Experience different games. Mix it up. Play different tees. And have a great time! It can be a different experience every time you play!"
The Battlefield is open six days a week (closed Wednesdays). The Championship Course at Shangri-La is open for play seven days a week.
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Erin Hills - Photo Courtesy of Erin Hills
May 26-June 1, 2025
The 80th United States Women’s Open will take place at Erin Hills Golf Course from May 26 to June 1, 2025, and ticket packages are now available for purchase.
Tickets start at $150. Options available:
A gallery pass (one ticket valid from Wednesday through Sunday) includes general admission, grandstand seating, parking, and shuttle service to and from Erin Hills.
The flex package includes five daily gallery tickets that can be used on any one day from Wednesday to Sunday.
The trophy club package provides access to a climate-controlled lounge with exterior seating, upgraded food and beverage options for purchase, and dedicated restrooms.
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Visiting Ireland and Playing Golf at Killeen Castle
Killeen Castle hosts a magnificent Jack Nicklaus Signature Course designed and constructed by arguably the game’s greatest golfer and the world’s preeminent course designer. With a record 18 major championships and close to 300 golf courses designed around the world, Jack is a true legend of the game and at Killeen Castle he has created some legendary golf holes.
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