When Annika Sorenstam shows up for the grand opening of your driving range, you know your golf operations are on the right track. This is how it was last October at The Club at Ibis in West Palm Beach, FL when this mandatory membership golf community of 54 Nicklaus-designed holes introduced the latest and greatest in TopTracer driving range technology. In doing so, Ibis became the first private club in the state of Florida to install TopTracer technology on its range; technology that has become a staple on the PGA Tour is available to golfers of all abilities at Ibis.…
Author: David Theoret
David Theoret
The Golfin’ Guy aka David (or Dave, but never Davey) Theoret grew up in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, where it was naturally assumed he would play hockey. Beginning at the age of 3 and continuing into his late 30's, he did just that. However, after one too many pucks to the head, he realized that golf was a lot easier on the body and took the game up. Whoever said hockey players were slow? Since that time, golf has become his passion – just ask Belinda. From 2003 until 2009, David ran the sales and marketing department of TravelGolf Media and took his team to over $1M in annual advertising revenue. While at TravelGolf, an editor told him he had a flair for writing and the lightbulb came on. He started writing articles about anything golf related: courses, destinations, resorts, shoes, apparel, equipment and training aids and sending them to websites and magazines. At first, his articles were picked up by a few golf websites and magazines, but the number steadily grew – enough that he could call it a career. Most days he’s on a course somewhere, either working or playing. Actually, to him playing IS work. Occasionally you’ll find him on the practice range reinforcing bad habits. David plays to a 12 handicap - unless there is money involved in which case it goes considerably higher. He currently resides in Lakeland, FL with his wife Belinda and their two "kids", Louie and Molly.
Santee, South Carolina is about as small a town as you’ll find. The town sits at exit 98 off of I95 and consists of three stoplights moving east to west. At first glance it doesn’t seem like there’s a whole lot to the town – several restaurants, gas stations, and motels – all owned by hard-working locals who have made this their life’s work- clutter the real estate off the exit ramp. A little further down is Clarks Inn and Restaurant, owned by the Clark family who pretty much founded the town. However, if you’re a golfer, Santee, SC could…
Water, sand, and palm trees. That pretty much sums up every golf course in Florida. The Cape Royal Golf Club in Cape Coral, Florida is no exception, with an added emphasis on the water! Cape Royal features 27 holes of championship golf and was designed by golf course architect Gordon Lewis, who has designed more than 80 courses in the Sunshine State. This unique facility features five sets of tees, so there’s sure to be one that can be enjoyed by players of all skill levels. As you make your way around this layout you’ll find 180 acres of sparkling…
As golf destinations go, Gadsden, AL is well down most golfers’ list; if it weren’t for the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, it probably wouldn’t even be on the radar. And, if the truth be told, the RTJ Trail course at Silver Lakes is what keeps golfers coming back. I am speaking about Silver Lakes, a 36-hole facility on the outskirts of town. Surrounded by the Appalachian foothills and Lee’s Lake, Silver Lakes features the most unique and aptly named courses on The Trail: Heartbreaker, Backbreaker, Mindbreaker. All 36 greens (including the short course) boast Champion ultra-dwarf putting surfaces, arguably…
The Thunder Bay Golf Resort in Hillman, Michigan is a unique piece of property; even if you don’t play golf, you won’t run out of things to do. The entire resort encompasses about 400 acres including the 160-acre wooded Elk Preserve. The golf course was designed by property owner Jack Matthias who, by his own admission, knew nothing about building a golf course at the time. Needless to say, the course has survived since the front nine was built over 50 years ago (the back 9 was added in 1990 and the lodging in 1991), so he obviously did something…
The private, gated community of River Hills has a history that dates back to 1988 when the first homes were built. Now, more than 1160 families call this deed-restricted, multi-village community home and several PGA, LPGA, Champions Tour players have been Members at River Hills over the years. The River Hills community surrounds the country club and golf course. The golf course originally opened as a daily fee golf facility with private club-worthy amenities. It was designed by Joe Lee who Jack Nicklaus once said, “Has never built a bad golf course.” In 2000 – after the development had sold…
KINONA is a women’s golf apparel line that was founded in 2017 Dianne Celuch and Tami Fujii, friends and corporate executives-turned-entrepreneurs. KINONA golf apparel makes women look good and feel good and when that happens, they tend to have more fun on the golf course. KINONA’s fun, course-tested styles are crafted from Italian fabrics, and feature sun protection, and subtle features like tee holders and back pockets allowing ladies to bring chic, contemporary, and functional fashion to the fairway. When you’re wearing KINONA apparel, you’re part of the wave that is shifting the paradigm in women’s golf apparel. What has…
It is truly a blessing that I have been able to take my passion for golf and for telling people about golf and turn it into a full-time occupation. I have been equally as blessed to play golf all over the world and at all types of facilities. One thing that hasn’t wavered much since I started writing about golf over 15 years ago is my thoughts on “executive” courses. “Way too short and not challenging enough,” were two thoughts that constantly crept into my head. After all, why waste hard-earned money on greens fees for a course that spans…
The Inn at St. John’s Golf Resort in Plymouth, Michigan has a rich history that dates back to the late 1940s when it was the St. John’s Provincial Seminary. The seminary served the Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit until June 7, 1988, when it was closed and the property remained dormant until 1994. That year it reopened as the St. John’s Center for Youth & Family. The St. John’s Center for Youth and Family hosted a variety of summer camps and youth groups, as well as renewal groups for couples. Parishes from all over metro Detroit used their facilities and the…
Like many North Carolina country clubs I have written about, Oakwoods Country Club in Wilkesboro has a rather unique story. It’s about how a group of people who all shared the same passion for golf came together to create a country club that they could all be proud of. It’s also a story about how to take a brand-new club and make it debt-free within five years. Oakwood’s story begins in the fall of 1952 when several prominent country club-minded citizens in Wilkes County met in the Forest Hills home of Pat M. Williams, Jr. and his wife Dottie. Approximately…