The Gophers men’s golf team continued their excellent play today at the NCAA Division I Championship in Virginia, moving to within a shot of tournament leader Stanford. Their 65-71-72-68-276 (-4) total was the second best team score of the day.

Gopher standout Bronson LaCassie is leading the individual scoreboard by two strokes at -8 after shooting 67-65-132.

Stanford and the Gophers are starting to pull away from the rest of the field, with third-place Coastal Carolina four strokes back.

Here are today’s individual scores:

• 1, Bronson LaCassie, 67-65-132 (-8)
• T23, Ben Pisani, 68-72-140 (E)
• T29, Victor Almstrom, 73-68-141 (+1)
• T44, Niall Turner, 71-71-142 (+2)
• T91, Clayton Rask, 72-73-145 (+5)

Director of Golf Steve Whillock reports that Oak Marsh Golf Club in Oakdale is adding another banquet room to their clubhouse. Demand for wedding receptions and meetings was pushing out the golfers, so construction is in progress to add more space.

For more information, call 651-730-8886.

The Minnesota Gophers men’s golf team teed off this morning at the 2007 Division I Men’s Golf Championship at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Virginia. Opened in 1963, the Robert Trent Jones Sr. Gold Course is playing as a 6,803 yard par 70 today (tour the course).

GopherSports.com also reports that seniors Bronson La’Cassie and Niall Turner have been named to the PING All-Midwest Region team, as selected by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

The Gophers are playing well early and are more than half-way through their round. We’ll update this post later today after the round is complete.

UPDATE: The Gophers finished today with a 278 (-2) total, tied for third with Florida and Texas. Stanford is in the lead with a 275 (-5) total and Coastal Carolina is in second at 277 (-3). Here are the individual results:

• T3, Bronson LaCassie, 67 (-3)
• T6, Ben Pisani, 68 (-2)
• T51, Niall Turner, 71 (+1)
• T66, Clayton Rask, 72 (+2)
• T89, Victor Almstrom, 73 (+3)

Only two days left on the spring version of the The Wilds Golf Club Pay The Temp promotion. Green fees are based on the outside temperature a 1/2 hour prior to your tee time (with a maximum of $65 plus tax) and include cart.

The weather may not cooperate, but you can try to dodge the raindrops. For more information, call (952) 445-3500, Ext. 4

Over the holiday weekend, we caught two of the big blockbuster movies of 2007: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and Shrek the Third.

We watched Pirates at the Muller Monster Screen at Lakeville 21 Theatre. At 80 feet wide and 35 feet tall with more than 30 Dolby Digital speakers, it’s the largest indoor screen in Minnesota. Bring your cash if you go, though, no checks or credit cards accepted (when was the last time you saw that?).

I really wanted to like Pirates–there was a lot more Keira (yeah!) and more references to the original ride–but unfortunately, I think it’s the worst of the trilogy. It starts out slow, runs too long, has lots of bizarre scenes that don’t fit in with the Pirates style and has a poor ending (but be sure to stay for all the credits). The action scenes aren’t of the same caliber as the other two movies, which was disappointing considering the potential of the storyline. Maybe I need to watch it again after watching the first two in sequence…

As for Shrek the Third, my expectations were low, as most of the reviews hadn’t been very good. I wasn’t a big fan of the second Shrek (LOVED the first one), so I was very happy to find a franchise back on track. Eddie Murphy as Donkey was the highlight for me, but the story was also better than Shrek 2 and the characters were engaging. No need to stay to the end of the credits on this one, though.

Movies I’m waiting for now: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (July 13), The Simpsons Movie (July 27) and The Bourne Ultimatum (August 3).

Lost among the excitement of the Gophers heading to the Division I Championship this week was Saint John’s University winning it’s first ever NCAA Division III golf title on May 18th.

The team’s 300-300-301-303-1204 (+52) total was twelve shots better than second place University of La Verne (California).

The championship was played on two courses: the 7,047 yard, par 72 Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana and the 7,069 yard, par 72 Hawthorns Golf and Country Club in Fishers, Indiana.

Here are the individual player results:

• 1 – Clinton Dammann, 72-71-72-72-287 (-1)
• T7 – Andrew Longbella, 74-73-79-76-302 (+14)
• T26 – Matt Bohlig, 76-79-78-77-310 (+22)
• T26 – Joe Daly, 78-77-73-82-310 (+22)
• T52 – Joe Schoolmeesters, 80-79-78-78-315 (+27)

More information can be found in the school’s press release.

Our Saturday golf group visited Cannon Golf Club in Cannon Falls this weekend. I hadn’t been there for quite some time and found a lot of changes. The practice green seemed much larger and nicer than before. The new clubhouse is pictured above–the old one was burned to the ground (on purpose) and this one was built on the same spot. I was anxious to see it, as they don’t display it on their website. The interior is quite nice and I’ve heard the food is very good.

Gill Design of River Falls is working on some major changes to the course. We’ll have more coverage of these changes on Golfing in Minnesota later in the season, but here is a summary:

• The par-4 third hole is being moved to the top of the ridge (same green).
• The current par-3 11th and par-3 16th holes will be retired.
• The current par-4 17th will be turned into a dogleg left and become the new 15th hole.
• A new par-4 16th hole will run parallel to the new 3rd hole.
• A new par-3 17th hole will be added between the new 16th green and the current 18th tees.
• New tees for the 18th hole will be built.

All of these changes are currently in the grow-in phase, which is happening while the old holes remain in play. The new holes are scheduled to open later this season.

Last night my wife and I attended the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra performance at the Ordway Center in downtown St. Paul. The concert featured violinist Joshua Bell, a favorite of ours. We were a little confused at first by the program, which was the last of their “Jazzed-Up” offerings for the season. After the intermission, you could choose between returning to the hall to hear Beethoven’s Trio in C Minor for Violin, Viola and Cello, Op. 9 No. 3 or stay in the lobby and listen to Chris Brown and Friends play Gershwin tunes from Porgy and Bess.

We thought Mr. Bell was coming back after intermission, so we couldn’t see how anyone would stay in the lobby. I was reading from the day’s earlier concert, however, so he was done after the first two pieces. Both were sensational:

• Mozart’s Symphony No. 38 in D, K.504, “Prague”
• Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26

The second piece was my favorite. Mr. Bell was front and center, standing for all three movements. A teenage girl and her mother were sitting next to me and I was fascinated to watch the young girl follow along with the sheet music. I overheard another woman ask them if she played and she said it was a piece she has been practicing, but that it’s so hard to play. She was truly excited to hear it played by a virtuoso on a priceless instrument. That excitement was contagious.

After we figured out the Jazzed-Up options, we went into the lobby and listened to Chris Brown’s band. Prudence Johnson was the singer and we had fun listening while sampling some cheesecake. The lobby was full and my wife was tired of standing, so we decided to leave early.

When we went down the staircase, the lower level only had a dozen or so people standing around. I noticed someone sitting at a table by himself and it was Joshua Bell! The people standing were all in line to buy his CD and he was waiting to sign them after purchase. My wife bought his latest CD (again) and had it signed. I got a coveted “To DK” on my ticket (see above). A very exciting end to a fun evening…

Recently there was a ranking of golf courses in the Twin City metro area by Jerry Zgoda in the Star Tribune. The rankings, as rankings do, raise questions as to what are the key elements of a great golf course?

With that in mind I would offer this golf course architect’s perspective:

A great golf course has a wide variety of challenging golf holes and a harmonious rotation of par threes, fours and fives. Variety is the number one ingredient in a successful golf course layout.

The way the golf course plays is dictated by the sequence of the golf holes. Back to back par threes, for example, play slowly and potentially put the brakes on the flow of your round of golf because of the way we are used to playing. Think of starting your round on a par three and then think about how much expectations and routine are part of our mindset when we start and play our round of golf.

A golf course architect has hazards, topography and trees as the tools of the trade to establish the rub of the green on a given golf hole. Bunkers are the key feature used to establish the flow of the golf hole. Well-positioned bunkers define the most advantageous route to the green. On a good golf hole there is a strategic route that increases your likelihood for success.

The topography needs to complement the hazards so that the risk of going directly at a hazard provides the reward that the hazard is guarding. If a hazard isn’t protecting or defining something then it shouldn’t be there.

Trees should be incorporated strategically so that they play as three-dimensional bunkers. A key tree can block off the direct approach to a green for a drive that is not hit far enough in the fairway.

Next week: Highland National

Paul Miller can be reached at:

Paul Miller Design, Inc.
220 Division Street
Northfield, MN 55957
507-645-6999
paulmillerdesign@msn.com

Don Ringstmeyer, manager of Castlewood Golf Course in Forest Lake, called in with a course update this week. The 3,043 yard, par 36 nine-hole course is under new management (since 11/1/2006) and has been cleaned up and rebuilt. Known as “The Rock,” the course also incorporates a 1,503 yard junior course, known as “The Little Rock.” Junior leagues for kids aged 9-17 will start when school is out and include a girls league on Wednesdays and a boys league on Fridays.

One Saturday each month will be “Big Buck Saturday,” with the person closest to the pin on their 212 yard par 3 winning a hundred dollar bill. Entry is free to all players. The first Big Buck Saturday will be June 16.

For more information on Castlewood, call 651-464-6233.

The action is heating up in Minnesota high school golf as we head towards the state championships, to be held June 5-6 at Bunker Hills (Class AA) and June 6-7 at Izatys (Class A). Regionals are being held this week all over the state–for more information on regional results, visit the MGA’s Hot News section to read the excellent coverage by Mike Fermoyle.

Golfing in Minnesota will be on hand at both Bunker Hills and Izatys with coverage of both boys and girls events.

FORE! Minnesota, on Saturday, May 26, 2007 (9 am on KSTC-45):

• Course Tour: Territory GC (St. Cloud, MN)
• Great Moments in MN Golf: Genesis of Minnesota Golf (Town & Country Club, 1893)
• Stories of Golf: US Women’s Open 2008 (Interlachen CC)
• Tad Reeve’s Dream 18: Interlachen #12
• Pro Strategies: Mark Westblade (Willingers GC)

Cindy Early, Special Events Officer for the United Hospital Foundation, reports there are only a limited number of spots left for the 2007 United Hospital Golf Classic, to be held July 30 at White Bear Yacht Club.

The $300 entry fee includes a golf clinic, guest gift bag, luncheon, 18 holes of golf and an awards reception following golf. Proceeds benefit the Peter J. King Family Practice Health Center, which will house the United Family Practice Health Clinic.

For more information, visit the event web site or contact Cindy Early at 651-241-8027.

Almost everything seems to be doing well this spring. These are some new flowers my wife planted–I’m not sure what the blue ones are, but bleeding hearts have always been one of my favorites. The new spruce in the front yard suffered a little stress from the planting, but I think it’s getting better. The lilacs bloomed and have grown into monsters (even after trimming last fall). Same for the maple bush outside my home office window and the sugar maple tree in the backyard. One last project to do this summer and the plan will be complete (aside from that expensive retaining wall, which may have to wait until the next owner).

Amateur registration for this year’s Tapemark Charity Pro-Am is almost full. If you’d like to play, visit their website or call tournament CEO Phil Callen at 651-552-5639 right away. The multi-day event will be held June 8-10 at Southview Country Club in West Saint Paul.

One of the “Minnesota Majors,” the Tapemark is a unique opportunity to play with a pro, raise millions of dollars for charity and be a part of Minnesota golf history. The entry fee for the 2007 event is $750, which includes two rounds of golf (three if your team makes the cut), a drawing night buffet dinner, tournament merchandise and a buffet dinner for each contestant and a guest on Saturday, June 9.

Robert Klas, Jr., president of Grand Slam sponsor TAPEMARK Company, was featured this month in a Saint Paul Illustrated magazine cover story. Nice hat, Bob!

My oldest daughter had her bridging ceremony yesterday and moved from Brownies to Junior Girl Scouts. Congratulations to Troop 372!

Pictures from the big event have been uploaded to the private section of the photo gallery. If you have trouble viewing new albums in the gallery, make sure to clear your browser’s cache–the Gallery 2 software I use seems to have weird issues with that.

Drop me an email if you need the password…

Brian Allen of Sundance Golf Club in Dayton, Minnesota sent the following news about upcoming events and specials:

NEWS
Hosting High School Boys/Girls 5AA Regional Qualifying for State Tournament, May 22, 2007
Hosting MPGA Four Ball Event, June 15-16, 2007
Maple Grove Days 4-Person Scramble, July 13th, 2007
Bowling Proprietors of Minnesota 4-Person Scramble, June 12th, 2007

SPECIALS
We offer a FREE Round of Golf for signing up within our email database. In addition, registered members receive exclusive discounts on food, bowling and other golf specials.

UPDATE: Sundance has just launched an updated website (same address). Also, their main bar/lounge is now officially titled “FRITZY’s Sports Bar & Grill,” after Brian Allen’s father.

Our regular weekend golf group visited The Summit Golf Club in Cannon Falls yesterday morning. I visited with course manager Jack Baker, who reported that they will be announcing new wine tasting events with a local winery soon (perhaps this one?).

Selected by Golf Digest as one of 2002′s “Best New Affordable Public Courses,” The Summit has been one of my favorite courses in the south metro for several reasons: all bentgrass layout, dramatic elevation changes on the back nine, general lack of crowds (even on weekends) and overall good value. The owners continue to reinvest money in the course, adding paved cart paths, upgraded parking lot and clubhouse deck over the past few years.

Word seems to be getting out, as there were quite a few people there when we arrived. Due to a scheduling glitch with Teemaster, we went off the back side first to avoid a multi-person group starting on one. We’ve never seen the course perform maintenance on Saturdays, so the patches of long rough can be forgiven. We were concerned, however, about the dryness of tees and fairways. Perhaps they were hoping the forecasted rain would arrive, but without more water, those areas are in danger of serious damage.

As I was playing the course, I realized I didn’t know who designed the course. The scorecard doesn’t say, but the course’s website lists Midwest Golf Management, while Golf Digest lists William Whitworth, Marty Benson Jr. and Greg Wencl. I’ll do more research on that as we prepare a series on prominent Minnesota course architects.

Photos from the round have been uploaded to the 7MM Photo Gallery.

Today’s third and final round at the NCAA Central Regional was a tough one for the Gopher men’s golf team. Clayton Rask shot nine strokes higher than his Friday round of 69, while Ben Pisani dropped from a tie for 35th to a tie for 93rd after shooting a fourteen-over-par 86. But the team won a playoff against Texas A&M on the first playoff hole to advance to the NCAA Championship beginning May 30 in Virginia.

Here’s how each player faired:

• T14 – Bronson LaCassie, 74-75-75-224 (+8)
• T50 – Clayton Rask, 84-69-78-231 (+15)
• T63 – Niall Turner, 80-75-79-234 (+18)
• T89 – Victor Almstrom, 79-76-82-237 (+21)
• T93 – Ben Pisani, 81-71-86-238 (+22)

Yesterday I had the privilege of joining course co-architect Paul Miller, course superintendent Greg Nolan and his assistant Jeff for an afternoon round at the Meadows at Mystic Lake course in Prior Lake.

The course was in great shape, but the wind was really blowing. Several grassland areas around the course had been burned with a controlled burn a few weeks ago, making wayward shots easier to find. Other areas were filling in nicely with fescues and wildflowers.

Two items of note:

• The “Spin-and-Play” promotion runs through June 1. Spin the wheel in the pro shop to determine your green fee (maximum of $65, minimum free).
• Demo Day will be held Saturday, June 2, from 10am – 1pm on the driving range. Scheduled brands include Callaway, TaylorMade, Nike, Ping and Cleveland.

The Minnesota Gophers men’s golf team moved from a tie for 11th place to 6th place today at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois. 2007 Minnesota Golf Champions winner Clayton Rask bounced back from an opening day 84 with a three under par 69 (two off the low round of the day). Minnesota’s two day total 314-290-604 (+28) is 19 shots behind region leader Tulsa.

Here are the individual results from Friday:

• 20 – Bronson LaCassie, 74-75-149 (+5)
• T35 – Ben Pisani, 81-71-152 (+8)
• T48 – Clayton Rask, 84-69-153 (+9)
• T66 – Victor Almstrom, 79-76-155 (+11)
• T66 – Niall Turner, 80-75-155 (+11)

FORE! Minnesota, on Saturday, May 19, 2007 (9 am on KSTC-45):

• Course Tour: Willingers (Northfield, MN)
• Great Moments in MN Golf: MGA (1901)
• Stories of Golf: Golf Fore Fun (Braemar GC)
• Tad Reeve’s Dream 18: Interlachen #9
• Pro Strategies: Chad Bakke (Ridges at Sand Creek)

The Gopher men’s golf team is in Illinois this week to play in the NCAA Central Regional at Rich Harvest Farms Gold/Silver course (par 72 – 7,214 yards). After the first day of competition, the Gophers are tied for 11th at 314 (+26). The top 10 teams advance to the Championship, to be held May 30 – June 2 at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club Gold Course in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Here’s how the individual players faired:

• T10 – Bronson LaCassie, 74 (+2)
• T51 – Victor Almstrom, 79 (+7)
• T60 – Niall Turner, 80 (+8)
• T76 – Ben Pisani, 81 (+9)
• T107 – Clayton Rask, 84 (+12)

Heather Winkler, the manager of Mahnomen Country Club in northwestern Minnesota, called in this week with their 2007 rates:

Weekdays – $15 for 9 holes, $22 for 18 holes
Weekends – $17 for 9 holes, $25 for 18 holes

Carts – $13 for 9 holes, $21 for 18 holes

Group discounts are also available at the 2,996 yard, nine-hole course. For more information, call the club at 218-935-5188.

Prairie View Golf Links, located 1-1/2 miles north of Worthington in southwestern Minnesota, reports that it’s been a little windy on the plains the past few days. Course manager Bryce Negrete says that they’ve had 40-mph winds, making the links style course very challenging. There are no trees and no houses on the 6300 yard, par 71 course, which was designed by Worthington-native Joel Goldstrand.

Bryce says their full weekend walking rates this year are $12 for 9 holes and $18 for 18 holes, but they offer a special on Mondays and Thursdays: unlimited golf with cart for $30 (singles) or $20 per person if you bring a friend.