(GOLFEST 2009 CONT'D) ... On this afternoon, it seemed that every drive was hit into the wind, so it played exceptionally long, even from the 6,000 yard tee box.  The team of Suzda, Jeffrey Adkins, Todd Baltzley and Jim Allen squeaked out the win with a scrambling "2-under" score.  Second place went to the team of Bob Potts, Jim Dee, Mark Pickering and Reed Conley who were one-under.

     Both lunch and dinner was served in the White Deer Run clubhouse.  With full stomachs, it was time to get serious about our drive to the other side of Illinois.  MapQuest showed the Chicago to Eagle Ridge Resort in Galena as a 151-mile jaunt.  However, driving down two-lane rural roads with few sites to set your bearing on, It felt more like 200.  GPS was our best friend, because without it, we would still be driving around in Iowa or Nebraska.  We arrived around 10:00 p.m., which was good because I think we officially ran out of bad jokes in the mini-van.  Shortly thereafter, we were checked into our condo accommodations at the Eagle Ridge Resort, a place that was nearly impossible to find in the black night. We were just happy to get there without hitting a deer.  Each of the units were very spacious as we spread out our gear. ... 54 holes down ... 99 to go!


     5/29 - The Eagle Ridge Resort ... When we drove in last night, we couldn't see more than five feet off the shoulder of the road.  We could have driven past a nudist colony stocked full of super models and never realized it.  (Wouldn't that be a bummer?)  Apparently rural Illinois doesn't put much stock in streetlights.  However, this morning we were treated with some invigorating sights, which made the road trip all the worthwhile.  With the sun blaring brightly, we were greeted with awesome views of some of the 63-holes at this resort.  It felt like we hit the golf lottery.

     Breakfast was included at the Eagle Ridge Lodge.  It was there that we discovered that Golfest was visiting at the same time as group for a UFO Symposium.  Not that I don't believe in UFO's, but I'm not going to drive to the middle of nowhere to go to an actual UFO meeting.  The hotel featured a strange mixture of whack jobs who looked a little like aliens themselves.  They had come to spend the next couple of days being dazzled by blurry photographs of street lights and frisbees, and commentary from "experts" who had been abducted and probed.  Have you ever wondered why they don't abduct and probe normal people? ... Hey, is that my proctologist?  

     On tap this morning was THE GENERAL at EAGLE RIDGE, a somewhat intimidating name for what turned out to be an absolutely awesome course.  When Andy North designed this number, it was obvious that a lot of thought and planning went into the layout.  This beauty is carved beautifully through the local rolling hills in a fashion that it didn't feel like a novelty course -- one of those numbers where you feel like they squeezed a course into a canyon as an after thought.  

     Almost all of the holes featured major elevation changes, but it was very fair for properly struck shots.  The 14th hole at the General is their signature hole and it lived up to it's reputation.  With a tee box that is about 80-yards above the fairway, you can see three states on a clear day.  You want hang time?  You get it here.  With a little hindsight, this was the most entertaining hole of the 153 we played this week.  The overall scores at the General crept up a few notches, but nobody seemed to care, because this was an amazing Top 100 venue -- a course that should be in the top 25 nationally, not in the bottom 50 where it is now.  A laid back 1 1/2 hour lunch in Spikes, the clubhouse restaurant, included swing lubricants and Advils.

     The North Course at Eagle Ridge was played in the afternoon.  It was described to us as a resort course, but turned out to be a unique number that proved to be very challenging.  A little course knowledge would have saved us all at least five strokes, something we needed because we were struggling.  Luckily, triple-bogey was the highest score anybody could take on a hole.  All three groups finished by 7:00 p.m. and "tired" was a common denominator.  AFTER ALL, WE HAD JUST PLAYED 72-HOLES OF GOLF IN THE PAST 36 HOURS.  Think about that for a second!  That's averages out to one hole every 1/2 hour, including travel, sleep, and five meals.

      The good news is that we get to sleep in tomorrow before heading to the WeaverRidge Golf Club.  Tee times are at 1:30 p.m., to accommodate the drive to Peoria. 

5/30 - WeaverRidge Golf Club ...  Everybody seemed refreshed.  Most attributed that to wolfing down some great pizza last night for dinner, a good nights sleep, and another buffet breakfast with some of UFO people at Eagle Ridge.  Luckily, none of us were abducted or probed last night ... or at least nobody was admitting it.  For those who didn't get enough shut-eye, it came on the 151-mile scenic drive to Peoria.  Man, this state has a lot of barns and bridges.  The destination was the 37th ranked WeaverRidge Golf Course.   

     Golfest was treated to a fantastic day at a great golf course, run by a great owner and family.  We arrived two-hours early and had some time to kill.  We spent most of our time in the bar.  Course owner Jerry Weaver and son and GM Matt Weaver rolled out the red carpet for us. Jerry worked the bar crowd like a politician, making us feel very welcome and appreciative of the fact that we came from four different states to visit his facility.  Some of us also took advantage of a vendor day taking place on the practice range to try out some of the latest and greatest golf technology.  Others intentionally didn't go, in order to reduce the urge to buy new gear.

     WeaverRidge is a hidden jewel in Illinois and the Top 100 list.  It has a lot of personality, not just from a course perspective, but from a people standpoint.  You could feel that the associates who were employed there, really liked to work at W-Ridge.  In my opinion, this is the ultimate company culture for a golf course.  Smiles were the norm and good service was definitely on the courses mission statement.  WeaverRidge promised great scores for good target golf and the par threes at this course are pretty cool.  Even though this was a busy Saturday at the course, the marshals did their job and kept the pace on time.  Just about everyone's scores came down after nightmarish scores drove up handicaps on the second 18 at Eagle Ridge.  Bob Potts led the way with a 78.  I shot my best of the week, a 92.

     After the round, Mr. Weaver graciously bought us a round of drinks and provided the Golfest dozen with our choice of hats from his pro shop.  He even joined us for a group photo in front of his landmark sign.  How cool is that?

     At that point, our sites were set on the dinner buffet at Jumers, a huge casino in Moline, Illinois, about 84 miles up the road.  Based on the sites and sounds, Moline must be Latin for JOHN DEERE.  Just about everything in this town is stamped with the familiar green and yellow logo. 

     In a strange twist of events, Golfest featured the sequel to "Chokefest 2008" in Michigan.  Mike Barbone, a first timer on the Golfest circuit, didn't quite chew up his steak good enough (aka ... Mike Werner on the Great Lakes Tour) and it got stuck in his throat.  Casino staff rushed to the rescue when he puked on the floor and had some trouble breathing.  Next thing we know, he is being transported to a local hospital for medical treatment.  Mike was released a couple of hours later after the meat finally worked its way down his windpipe.  Brother-in-law Pat "Big Guy" Calahan, brought him back to the Radisson in downtown Moline via taxi.  It didn't take him long to recover as witnessed by his presence in the bar in the attached Friday's restaurant later that evening.  There is never a dull day on the road with Golfest.  Maybe our new slogan should be ... Chew ... baby ... chew!


     5/31 - The TPC at Deere Run ...  The site of the annual John Deere Classic played host to todays round -- The TPC at Deere Run.  Not much travel was required as it was located only seven-miles up the road from our hotel.  The good news is that everybody looked relaxed and well-rested after sleeping in.  We have all survived the first 37,200+ yards of the "Land of Lincoln Golf Quest" - more if you don't hit 'em straight.

     The TPC at Deere Run proved to be a ample challenge for us, but seemed to lack some pizazz.  It was a challenging course and a very nice facility, but very few holes really prompted us to pull out our camera and really take note.  In addition, the greens were recently punched and were a little fuzzy and on the slow side.  Most of us were leaving our putts short after playing on lightening-fast greens most of the week.  This course was designed and destined to be a PGA tour stop and is exactly that.  By the way, they were setting up grandstands for the John Deere Classic which is four weeks away.  Our first group - Allen, Adkins, Conley, and Calahan - blew through the 18 in four hours, while the next two took almost five-hours.  By the way, Mike Barbone proved he was fully recovered from his "chewing-incident" and shot a week best 91.

     After a few photographs of some unnamed Golfestians riding the signature TPC Deer(e) out front, we climbed into our bug-splatter vehicles and put it in autopilot for the 150-miles return trip to Chicago.  The drive was easy and the site of the skyline was a breath of fresh air and a good change of pace.  Accommodations were provided at the Comfort Suites, only a few blocks from the Sears Tower. The unique site of us unloading golf clubs in downtown Chicago had several locals scratching their heads.  After a quick shower and a change of clothes, dinner was at Mortons of Chicago, about 100-yards from our front door.  The highlight of the evening, besides the great food, was Jeffrey Adkins doing his best Vito Corleone Godfather impression.  He stuffed a few mushrooms in his cheeks and was good to go.  Funnier than heck.  On a side note, Mike Barbone didn't have any food issues.  Repeat after me, "Chew ... Baby ... Chew!"  The forecast for tomorrow looks a little wet, but either way, we are ready to tackle the top ranked course in Illinois.  That would be ...  (MORE) ...