Michigan's golf season winds to an end

I've got my last round of golf scheduled, do you?

I'm planning to play this week not for fun but for work. I've had a few review products show up at my door that need to be tested before the weather turns sour.

I just got a facebook message that Manitou Passage is closed for the season. Most courses up north can't be far behind.

Now's the time to reflect on what's been a great season. Both the spring and fall weather was good enough to extend the season a couple weeks on either end, a pleasant surprise for courses that have been starved for revenue a couple years in a row. Boyne USA Resorts reported last week that this has been the longest golf season in its history. Several Boyne courses are scheduled to stay open until the end of the month.

Looking back, the summer weather was stunning. I read somewhere it was the fifth-warmest summer on record in metro Detroit. Most of the weekends were rain free. The weather stayed consistantly wonderful ... 80 to 85 and sunny from June to September.

There were some cool first-time events that I'll never forget, too. The grand opening of the Golf Club at Harbor Shores was as good as any event we've had in Michigan (Just as good as the 2008 PGA Championship and 2004 Ryder Cup if you ask me). Watching Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer was a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.

Meeting Butch Harmon at the Loon Golf Resort in Gaylord for the opening of his golf school there was another treat. There's a chance he and Natalie Gulbis could return to the resort next summer, so stay tuned.

I even got the chance to play The Bear in its 25th anniversary. The legendary Jack Nicklaus design that spearheaded the growth of northern Michigan as a golf destination is as good as ever.

Speaking of bears, this blog will go into a bit of a hibernation mode as winter settles in.

But if big news breaks -- like if the PGA Tour decides to come back to Michigan in 2011 -- I'll post an update.

Chill with LPGA star Natalie Gulbis at The Loon Golf Resort

There's still time to chill with Natalie Gulbis at the Loon Golf Resort this weekend.

The Loon Golf Resort, which hosted the very successful Natalie Gulbis Charity Classic August 13-15, welcomes back the LPGA beauty September 24-26 for the Natalie Gulbis Showcase event.

"We have had a great summer of golf events with Butch Harmon and Natalie Gulbis both putting on great showcase events here at the Loon for our golfing guests," said Matt Preuss, General Manager at The Loon Golf Resort. "We are very excited to have Natalie return in September and look forward to having her participate and help create what will be the most exciting final golf event to play in for the season."

This event will include golf, clinics and great food with Gulbis. The two-day 36-hole event will be played in a four-person team format with amateurs competing in both gross and net divisions. Gulbis will be on hand participating with private clinics for the contestants, including a junior clinic for kids, as well as participating on golf holes, and interacting with each group.

The cost to participate is $2,000 per four-person team. This includes practice rounds on Friday, tournament rounds, clinics with Natalie Gulbis, cocktails, meals, as well as awards and prizes. In addition, the first 20 teams to register will receive lodging at the Loon Golf Resort.

I had a great time at the Butch Harmon event. I'm guessing that Gulbis will be just as fun to hang out with.

LPGA star Natalie Gulbis up next for a visit to The Loon Golf Resort in Gaylord

If Natalie Gulbis is half as good a host as Butch Harmon was on his visit to the Loon Golf Resort for his pro-am July 31-Aug. 1, the lucky golfers who sign up for either of Gulbis' upcoming events in northern Michigan are in for a spectacular treat.

Harmon, the No. 1 instructor in the world, was comfortable wherever he was ... talking to reporters in his new building that houses his new Butch Harmon School of golf, with a mike in his hand telling stories to the crowd after dinner, hitting trick shots in his clinic, signing autographs, taking pictures on the course, etc. Harmon was just one of the guys, making it a real treat to meet him.

The Loon staff went over-the-top in making it a first-class tournament. I won't spill the secrets of what went down, but golfers can expect the same treatment if they sign up for the Natalie Gulbis Charity Classic August 13-15 or the Natalie Gulbis Showcase September 24-26.

Luring Gulbis and Harmon to the Loon Golf Resort in Gaylord, along with the new golf school and 11 new townhomes on site, show the resort commitment to becoming one of the premier golfing experiences in northern Michigan. The course is currently in phenominal shape.

"We are very excited to have Natalie Gulbis coming to The Loon Golf Resort this summer and helping us create two unique and special events for golfers and charity," said Matt Preuss, General Manager at The Loon Golf Resort. "Both will be must play golf events in northern Michigan this season and a great opportunity for golfers to meet and interact with the one of the most popular LPGA stars on tour."

The two-day 36-hole events will include a four-person team format with amateurs competing in both gross and net divisions. Gulbis will offer private clinics for the contestants, including a junior clinic for kids, as well as participating on golf holes, and interacting with each group.

The cost to participate in the pro-am event is $2,000 per four-person team, a real bargain considering how much face time each team gets with Gulbis. The price includes practice rounds on Friday, two tournament rounds, clinics with Gulbis, cocktails, meals, as well as awards and prizes. In addition, the first 20 teams to register will receive lodging at the Loon Golf Resort.



For those of you interested in instruction, four of Harmon’s instructors from Las Vegas will lead five different three-day golf schools at the Loon’s expanded driving range from Aug. 17 to Sept. 2.

For more, visit loongolfresort.com.