The Golf Wish Blog

Archive for May, 2011

Golf Like Fred Astaire!

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years.  But did anyone realize his golfing talent?

Check out this great video clip from the Ed Sullivan Show…

American Express and PGA Friend of a Cardmember/May is PGA FREE Lesson Month

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

Are you an American Express cardmember?  Have you and your golf buddy been talking about getting some tips on your game but just haven’t done anything about it yet?  Has your son/daughter/niece/nephew recently shown an interest in golf?  Is your significant other talking about taking a golf lesson trying to figure out what you see in the game?  How about a private golf lesson for the two of you? 

American Express and The PGA of America are offering a private lesson from a PGA Professional where you can bring a friend along at no extra charge.  Just find your nearest PGA professional, set up a time and pay with your American Express card.  Get help with that slice or hook.  Improve your tee shots or your putts.  If you or your regular golf buddy spends more time in the trees or the sand than on the fairway, this is your chance to reduce the time you spend looking for the ball so you can spend more time enjoying the game!

Or choose to introduce your son/daughter/niece/nephew/significant other to the game you love, they learn the basics while the PGA professional helps you build on your existing knowledge.

The following Golf Wish partners around the country are participating in the Friend of a Cardmember promotion:

ARIZONA: Augusta Ranch Golf Club in Mesa.

ILLINOIS:  Chalet Hills Golf Club in Cary,  Cog Hill Golf  in Lemont, Eagle Ridge Inn and Resort in Galena and Prairie Landing Golf Club in West Chicago. 

KENTUCKY: Lafayette Golf Club At Green Farm Resort in Falls of Rough.

MICHIGAN:  Black Bear Golf Club in Vanderbilt, Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa in Thompsonville, Manistee National Golf and Resort in Manistee, The Highlands Golf Club in Grand Rapids and The Otsego Club – The Tribute in Gaylord.

WASHINGTON: Carnation Golf Course in Carnation.

WISCONSIN: Abbey Springs Golf Course in Fontana and Morningstar Golfers Club in Waukesha.

Or find a participating PGA Professional by going to:

http://www.playgolfamerica.com/index.cfm?action=foc  and schedule your ‘Friend of a Cardmember’ lesson today!

Is your schedule too busy that you don’t have time for a full lesson, or maybe a lesson for everyone in the family won’t work with the budget?  May is PGA Free lesson month, when you can get a free 10-minute lesson and/or family clinic designed to help golfers improve their games.  Head to one of these Golf Wish partners:

ARIZONA:  Augusta Ranch Golf Club in Mesa

FLORIDA: Winter Park Country Club in Winter Park.

ILLINOIS: Mill Creek Golf Club in Geneva.

MICHIGAN:  Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa in Thompsonville and Manistee National Golf and Resort in Manistee.

 Or find a participating PGA/LPGA professional near you by going to: http://www.playgolfamerica.com/index.cfm?action=flm.  Schedule your free 10-minute lesson or family clinic today and play better golf this summer.

How’s Your Miniature Golf Skills?

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

Mick Cullen from Lindenhurst set a new URDB (Universal Records Database) World Record on March 30, 2011.  He spent 24 hours playing glow-in-the-dark minigolf in an attempt to break the previous record of 4,729 holes set in 2008 by David Pfefferle in Ohio.  The attempt took place at Rocky’s Fun house in Waukegan and was also a fundraiser for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, a charity headed by actor Michael J. Fox who suffers from the disease. 

Cullen is the founder of the Mini-Masters miniature golf tournament played annually in Wisconsin and Illinois.  But on a full sized course it’s a different story according to Cullen “When it comes to real golf, I’m good off the tee and good on the green, but everything in between is a mess”.

The result:  He matched the record about 21 hours in and went on to finish with 5,040 holes beating the record by 311.  His support team kept track of his scores, chatted to people online and retrieved and ‘teed-up’ the balls.  He estimates that about $2,000 was raised for the Michael J. Fox Foundation.