Last week was the 13th Annual Med City Marathon in Rochester (with a start in Byron). The men’s winner was Mark Ott of Jackson, Michigan, in 2:54:33. On the women’s side, Kara Arzamendia of St. Paul won with a time of 3:12:19.

Family friend Debra Miller was 18th among women, with a time of 3:58:23. Way to go Deb!

This race doesn’t have the high profile that Grandma’s and TCM have, but it attracts more than 1,000 participants. This was the first year the race was organized by the Rochester Area Family YMCA.

The 2009 race will be held Sunday, May 24th.

Today our Saturday group paid a visit to the Ridges at Sand Creek in Jordan.

The course will be very busy this week, playing host to the Minnesota Senior Open on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by the 2008 Boys and Girls Class AA Golf Tournament on Thursday and Friday.

The course was in the best shape of any I’ve played so far this year, with no winter kill, receptive greens and nice teeing areas. This was also the first time I’ve left there without any complaints about slow play (or fivesomes on a weekend).

7MM Ridges at Sand Creek Photo Gallery

I like the design of the new stamp commemorating the Minnesota Sesquicentennial. It’s not a lake image, but the aerial shot from Winona looking up the Mississippi towards the Highway 43 bridge is very nice. Very close to including Wisconsin in the shot though…

It’s been a stressful week at work for me (hence the lack of posts here). I’m close to having things back in order, if not in control, so hopefully the summer will be what summer is meant to be–laid back.

Events on tap:

• Kids at birthday parties and sleep-overs.
• Golfing tomorrow morning in Jordan with the Millers.
• Running the Grand Old Day 8K on Sunday with my friend Gina.
• Playing White Bear Yacht Club for the first time on Monday with friends.
• Tapemark Week next week (volunteering and playing this year).
• Heading straight from Southview to the airport for WWDC in San Francisco.

That list doesn’t look laid back, but it will be fun.

One of the oldest courses in the state (and one of my favorites) has established itself as a leader in 21st century communications.

Northland Country Club in Duluth has two excellent blogs:

• Northland Country Club Blog
• Northland Country Club Turfgrass Management

Established in 1899, this Donald Ross course has greats views of Lake Superior, hard-to-read greens, a new clubhouse and swimming pool and a staff that knows how to keep their members informed.

As one of their recent blog posts points out, membership has never been higher. More than 600 members in various categories call Northland home.

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will host the first annual Adrian Peterson Celebrity Classic at Bearpath Golf and Country Club in Eden Prairie on June 16. Proceeds benefit the All Day Foundation, which supports Special Olympics Minnesota and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities.

Foursomes are available for $3,000 and include four invitations to the Pairings Party on Sunday night, one golf foursome and four tickets to Monday’s barbeque. Individual golfers can also participate for $750 if you do not have a foursome.

For more information, email allday@foxsports.net or call 612-486-9503.

Saint John’s University won its second straight NCAA Division III Men’s Golf National Championship on May 16 at Chateau Elan Resort in Braselton, Georgia.

The Johnnies were in 14th place after the first day and were eight shots out of the lead entering the final day.

Their totals of 314, 291, 296 and 291-1192 (+56) were three better than second-place University of Redlands (California).

Individual golfer results:

• 6, Joe Schoolmeesters (Junior), 76-74-73-71-294 (+10)
• T10, Matt Bohlig (Senior), 83-67-73-74-297 (+13)
• T19, Joe Daly (Junior), 74-73-77-77-301 (+17)
• T19, Joey Polingo (Junior), 81-78-73-69-301 (+17)
• T93, Clinton Dammann (Senior), 85-77-79-78-319 (+35)

For more details, please see the school’s press release.

Several golfers with Minnesota ties played in this weekend’s 69th Senior PGA Championship, held at the 7,001-yard Oak Hill Country Club East Course in Rochester, New York.

John Harris of Edina Country Club (and 2008 Minnesota Golf Champions winner) and Mike Barge of Hazeltine National both made the cut. Harris shot 72-78-73-73-296 (+16), good for a tie for 26th and a check for $13,875. Barge earned $3,500 in a tie for 77th, shooting 72-80-80-77-309 (+29).

Former Minnesota professional Scott Spence also made the cut, shooting 74-78-82-82-316 (+36) and finishing 84th.

Mike Zinni of Mankato Golf Club shot 84-72-156 (+16) and missed the cut by four strokes.

Jay Haas won the tournament, shooting 69-72-72-74-287 (+7). Oak Hill may have been the true victor, though, as the course only gave up twelve sub-par rounds all week.

Today I traveled the 75 minute journey from the south metro to Hayfield, Minnesota, to pay another visit to the Al Miller family and the Oaks Golf Club, which is located two miles west of Hayfield on highway 30.

My last visit was in May 2006 and there were a few changes since then. A new pond was added near the 10th green, many of the smaller trees have grown into formidable obstacles and length is being added to the tips. The southern Minnesota wind, a usual foe, was abundant and blowing from the south.

I’ve never really complained about fast play, but we were pressed all morning while walking (during a sub-4 hour round). Most of the players here have carts and singles and doubles often aren’t paired–we had a fast foursome behind us, being pushed by a single, who was pushed by a twosome. Hard to let an army play through.

We had a nice visit with Oaks superintendent Jeff Wendler during the round. Mr. Wendler has worked at the Oaks for thirty years (22 as superintendent). He knows his job well–the course was in good early season condition.

The weekend walking rate is $30, but the clerk did not know anything about the $5 gas coupon mentioned on their website. Still, not a bad value if you are in the area–just make sure you have your speed-walking shoes on…

7MM Oaks Photo Gallery

Maryland-based GolfFlyover uses data from Google Earth to create free fly-overs of golf courses around the country.

Some experiences (like Augusta National, Pine Valley and Cypress Point) are really incredible, as the images Google has for those courses are exceptional.

Some of the Minnesota course images aren’t as good, but it’s a fun way to waste some time on those rainy days when you can’t get out and play…

The Minnesota Wild announced yesterday that they have signed former Houston Aeros defenseman Maxim Noreau (max-EEM nohr-OH) to a multi-year deal. The 5-foot-11, 192-pound, twenty-year-old native of Montreal played 50 games for Houston last year and had 16 points (8 goals and 8 assists).

The story was posted on the Wild site, the Aeros site and the NHL news feed, but so far there has been no local commentary by Russo at the Strib or at the Pioneer Press (both used short AP stories).

I don’t really remember hearing much about him last year from the Aeros community, so I’m curious to see if he will actually make the big team. As usual for the Wild, terms were not disclosed.

I don’t want to hex it, but I think the worst of the cold weather is over (until the fall). The past few days have been beautiful and the forecast calls for our first 80 degree day this weekend.

The crabapple tree in the front yard, the lilacs in the back and all of the other shrubs and flowers are finally starting to bloom and grow. I uploaded a few photos to the photo gallery, if you’d like to see.

The PGA of America announced that due to the past success of Women’s Golf Week, 2008 will include an expanded Women’s Golf Month.

June 2008 will be American Express Women’s Golf Month, featuring a multitude of events designed exclusively for women, including:

• Free golf lessons and clinics
• Networking receptions
• Golf rules and etiquette seminars
• Fashion shows
• On-course playing opportunities
• On-course golf instruction
• Luncheons

A list of Minnesota events is available here.

The big three Wild players participating in the 2008 IIHF World Championship in Canada did us proud. Brent Burns (Canada), Mikko Koivu (Finland) and Niklas Backstrom (Finland) all had stellar tournaments.

Burnsie was named Best Defenseman of the tournament, scoring 3 goals with 6 assists and a tournament best +14. His nine points tied him for third highest defenseman (along with my favorite LA King – Vote for Lubo!).

Looking at the Finns, Mikko Koivu got to play on a line with his big brother Saku and, like Burns, had 9 points (4 goals and 5 assists). His face-off win percentage was almost 60%, about 3% lower than his brother.

Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom earned a shut-out in the bronze medal game against Sweden and had a 92.2% save percentage and a 2.11 goals against average for the tournament. He also played by far the most minutes of any goalie in the championship – 483:22.

Former Wild player Mattias Weinhandl also had a great tournament. The wiener was a +9 for Sweden, with 13 points (5 goals and 8 assists). Looks like he’s headed for Russia next year too.

Most importantly, no one seems to have been hurt. The future looks good for the Wild…

Last weekend I planned an executive retreat for my company at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake. This was actually my second choice for venue (none of the Cabins at Deacon’s Lodge were available), but it turned out to be very nice.

I picked up the HSRA LA program director from the airport on Friday morning and took her to Al’s in Dinkytown for breakfast. Afterwards, I dropped her off at The Marsh spa in Minnetonka for a massage.

The actual retreat started with a dinner meeting Friday night at the buffet, which ended up lasting more than three hours. Everyone had their own rooms Friday and Saturday nights and we had a lovely meeting room from 8-5 Saturday and Sunday (the Winuna Room).

We used up all nine hours both days for meetings (with a few delays here and there), but I did manage to get in some fun things too. On Friday, I played a twilight round of golf on the Meadows course with a neighborhood friend. Also played a little video poker both days and lost $45–almost as expensive as the golf.

The family came out and stayed both days, taking advantage of the extra bed and the swimming pool. I didn’t get to see them much, but we did have dinner at the Meadows Grille on Saturday night (it was family BBQ night). Kid one went to a friend’s birthday party sleep-over Saturday night, but they all got to go to Canterbury Park before that to watch the Preakness (and see the live horses too).

In hindsight, I probably could’ve used a massage before this retreat as well. It was a little tense at times and was mentally draining. Our organization is small and has a loose, unstructured culture that is very different from my past corporate experience. That’s not a bad thing, but it does drive me crazy sometimes.

We’ve scheduled a follow-up meeting in California for the end of June. I think the next few months will be a very interesting time for Studio 4. More details coming soon…

Golfweek sent out a special advertising supplement this week that lists their top courses you can play in each state, along with a section of ads from those courses that elected to place an advertisement.

For Minnesota, two courses purchased half page placements: Giants Ridge in Biwabik (which used sort of a strange picture of the 18th fairway on the Quarry course) and The Classic at Madden’s on Gull Lake.

The top 10 public course list for Minnesota was the same that we mentioned in our March 10, 2008 post Golfweek Top Courses Issue. They even corrected the typo on the Madden’s entry:

#1, Giant’s Ridge (Quarry)
#2, Deacon’s Lodge
#3, Wilderness at Fortune Bay
#4, StoneRidge
#5, Dacotah Ridge
#6, Legends Club
#7, Classic at Madden’s on Gull Lake
#8, The Wilds
#9, The Preserve at Grand View Lodge
#10, Chaska Town Course

The booklet also included some Minnesota-specific copy:

The season may be short, but golfers in the Twin Cities are spoiled for choice once summer arrives. In the Brainerd Lakes region to the north can be found Deacon’s Lodge (No. 2), The Classic at Madden’s on Gull Lake (No. 7) and The Preserve at Grand View Lodge (No. 9). Fifteen miles from Minneapolis/St. Paul in Prior Lake is the Legends Club (No. 6) and The Wilds (No. 8), the latter a superb Tom Weiskopf-Jay Morrish design.

I love reading how the national media portrays golf in Minnesota. In my opinion, though, it doesn’t happen nearly often enough…

The 2008 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon reported today that the 11,000 runner field is now full.

If you still want to run, there will be 150 entries available beginning Thursday, May 22 at 12:00 p.m. via the Fundraiser Entry Program. These entries cost the regular $95 entry fee, plus a $100 tax-deductible donation that will support kids’ fitness and wellness through several youth fitness partners:

• Bolder Options mentoring program teaches youth to succeed in all of life’s races, and the vision to build a community of caring relationships in support of our youth, nearly 350 youth have benefited since 1998.
• MIGIZI Communications effects and contributes to the American Indian community through social justice and positive change by committing resources to telecommunications, education, health/wellness, and other areas that contribute to capacity-building within the American Indian community.
• YWCA of Minneapolis works to fulfill their mission of eliminating racism and empowering women. YWCA of Minneapolis’ girls and youth programs focus on the strengths of young people and challenge them to expect and create great things in their lives.

“Runners looking for a great fall race come to the Twin Cities for the terrific community support, the beautiful fall weather and for a top-quality marathon experience,” said executive director of Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. Virginia Brophy Achman. “We are excited to offer a limited number of additional spots in the marathon as we help raise funds for our community partners.”

Mr. Simon, we hardly knew you.

Chris Simon is headed to Russia to play for Vityaz Chekhov.

Not exactly the highlight of Doug Risebrough’s career, the late-in-the-day trade deadline move that brought Simon to the Wild was widely criticized. I gave Simon the benefit of the doubt, as he seemed to honestly be happy to be here.

For better or for worse, we never really got to see if he was reformed or not. That’s a hard thing to prove when you’re sitting in the press box…

The rainbows were out at the end of our round yesterday at the Meadows at Mystic Lake. My second round of the year started out great, but finished with a thud on the back nine. The course had a number of holes that were cart-path only due to distressed fairways, but the greens were in good early season shape.

Signs in the clubhouse indicated that their “spin-the-wheel” promotion runs through May 31–get a discount that brings the price with cart down to a maximum of $55 (and maybe free).

This Gill-Miller design grows on me more and more each time I play it. Can’t wait to come back and avenge that back nine…

7MM Meadows at Mystic Lake Photo Gallery

Received an email from Runner’s World this week listing local races in their race series. Here are the Minnesota events:

• 07/05/2008, Chicken Run, Bricelyn, Minnesota
• 07/12/2008, ACMC 5K, Redwood Falls, Minnesota
• 07/12/2008, April Sorensen Memorial Half Marathon, Albert Lea, Minnesota
• 07/12/2008, Monticello River Fest 5K, Monticello, Minnesota
• 07/12/2008, Saint Urho Run, Menahga, Minnesota
• 07/19/2008, Dutch Fun Run, Edgerton, Minnesota
• 07/19/2008, Rails To Trails 5K Fun Run, Watertown, Minnesota
• 07/19/2008, River City Days Triathlon, Chaska, Minnesota
• 07/19/2008, Rondo Days 5k Run/Walk, St. Paul, Minnesota
• 07/19/2008, Run ‘Round the Rose 12 Mile, Vergas, Minnesota
• 07/26/2008, Boston Scientific Heart of Summer, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• 07/27/2008, Chisago Lakes Half Iron, Sprint Triathlon and Kids’ Triathlon, Chisago, Minnesota

Click on the race names for details on each event.

Former Wild Players still in the chase:

• Jim Dowd (PHI)
• Pascal Dupuis (PIT)
• Adam Hall (PIT)
• Johan Holmqvist (DAL)

I know he’s with Hossa and Crosby, but you’ve got to feel happy for Dufus, er, Dupuis.

Go Wings!

Today I met with Scott Turtinen, the Executive Director of the Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents’ Association (MGCSA) at his office in Wayzata. The primary reason for my visit was to learn more about their unique fund raiser I saw advertised in the Pioneer Press.

23 private courses are participating in the 20th Annual Turfgrass Research Benefit Week, to be held June 2-6, 2008. A limited number of tee times are available at each course, with a few providing gift certificates. Spots are filled in a first-come, first-serve manner and cost $120 per player (cart included at most courses). Entry forms must arrive by 3:00 p.m. on Friday, May 23, 2008.

Here are the courses still available as of today:

• Brackett’s Crossing
• Dellwood Hills
• Golden Valley
• Hillcrest
• Indian Hills
• Medina
• Midland Hills
• Minnesota Valley
• North Oaks
• Oak Ridge
• Rochester
• Stillwater
• Wayzata

This is a great opportunity to play some elite courses and support turfgrass research. This event has raised $183,500 since 1988 and is on track to top $200,000 this year.

The primary recipient of the research fund is the University of Minnesota’s TROE Center (Turfgrass, Research, Outreach and Education). Watch for a future Golfing in Minnesota story on the TROE Center later this season.

For more information, contact Scott at 952-473-2582 or via email at scott@mgcsa.org.

UPDATE: Remaining rounds are now half-price.

After being named to the 2008 men’s golf All-Big Ten First Team, Gophers senior Clayton Rask and junior Victor Almstrom were selected to compete as individuals in this week’s 2008 NCAA Central Regional at the Ohio State University’s Scarlet Course.

They will compete for two spots awarded to individuals not affiliated with an advancing team for the 111th Annual NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship, which will be held May 28-31, 2008, at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex (Kampen Course) in West Lafayette, Indiana.

The Gopher men’s team failed to qualify for the regional after finishing second to Michigan State in the 2008 Big Ten Championships in East Lansing, Michigan.

The NCAA implemented a new rule this year that requires teams receiving at-large bids to have a .500 winning percentage or higher. The Gophers played the 17th strongest schedule in the country and finished with a 51-94-1 overall season record in 11 events.

This is the first time in fifteen years that the Gopher men’s team will not be playing in the NCAA post-season.

Champions Tour player John Harris of Edina Country Club won the 2008 Minnesota Golf Champions tournament yesterday at Bearpath Golf and Country Club in Eden Prairie. Harris, who turns 56 next month, shot 67-71-70-208 (-8) to win by two strokes over second round leader Kane Hanson of Detroit Country Club. Harris won $3,000 to add to the $2,663,483 he has won on the Champions Tour in 149 career events (144 cuts made).

The weather finally turned Sunday, after a cold, wet Saturday that had the last players finishing in the dark at 8:40pm. The late morning tee times Sunday were greeted with sunshine, a stiff breeze and temperatures in the low 40s.

In other news from the tournament, professional Don Berry of Edinburgh USA is now a TaylorMade player, after many years with Titleist. Berry tied for ninth with Ty Armstrong of Glen Lake, shooting 72-71-73-216 (E) and earning $600.

Top Five Finishers:

• 1, John Harris, Edina CC, 67-71-70-208 (-8), $3,000.00
• 2, Kane Hanson, Detroit CC, 67-70-73-210 (-6), $2,000.00
• T3, Craig Brischke, Tanners Brook GC, 71-69-71-211 (-5), $1,375.00
• T3, Chris Borgen, Hiawatha GC, 68-71-72-211 (-5), $1,375.00
• 5, Adam Wynia, Prairie Green GC, 67-76-69-212 (-4), $1,100.00

7MM 2008 Minnesota Golf Champions Photo Gallery

A good-sized crowd of kids and parents braved the cold and rain to spend time with Goldy Gopher and members of the men’s and women’s Gopher golf teams at the second annual Golfing with Goldy event today at the Les Bolstad golf course.

The day started out with free pizza and water, followed by demonstrations and trick shots by Gopher players. After a short Q & A session with golf director Brad James, participants broke into smaller groups for one-on-one tips from Gopher players and coaches on the driving range.

From wild.nhl.com:

“When you are younger, it’s a lot easier to make a decision. At the end of the year, I said I wanted to ask questions of Doug [Risebrough]. I wanted to make sure my boss is happy with the work I am doing and with the way I manage the team. This is what we talked about in our meetings. I am reassured of my work and I want to coach again.

“My satisfaction behind the bench is getting the team to play the best it can, individually and as a group. Success will come with that.”

With all of the other open coaching positions, this adds a little certainty to the Wild for next year. It remains to be seen, however, just what it was that Lemaire learned from Risebrough in Tampa that made him decide to stay another year…