Art McCafferty - Michigan Golfermichigangolfer.com/april07/spring0407.pdf · Cover: Jack Berry with his family at the Golf Writers Association of America Award dinner, April 4, 2007

3 Slice of Life: Jack Berry Receives Lifetime Journalism AwardBy Terry Moore

7 Gaylord Golf Mecca Celebrates 20 YearsBy Art McCafferty

11 Mike Biber Takes Over The Otsego ClubBy Jack Berry

15 President Ford Left His Ski and Golf Legacy at Beaver CreekBy Michael Patrick Shiels

18 Tom Bendelow – Now RememberedBy Art McCafferty

MICHIGAN GOLFER

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In This IssueV O L U M E 25 • S P R I N G 2 0 0 7 • N U M B E R 1

Cover: Jack Berry with his family at the Golf Writers Associationof America Award dinner, April 4, 2007 (l to r) daughter AnneDaugherty, wife Bonnie Humm, daughter Jill Berry, Jack Berry,daughters Karen Gebhardt and Susan Berry. Photo courtesy ofthe PGA of America.

2 S P R I N G 2 0 0 7 • M I C H I G A N G O L F E R M A G A Z I N E

3M I C H I G A N G O L F E R M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 0 7

Jack Berry Receives LifetimeJournalism Award

In a memorabletribute toMichigan’s most

acclaimed golfwriter, the PGA ofAmerica’s PresidentBrian Whitcombbestowed the presti-gious LifetimeAchievement Awardfor Journalism toJack Berry. With hiswife and four daugh-ters beaming in theaudience, Berryaccepted the honor inAugusta, GA, at theannual Golf WritersAssociation ofAmerica AwardsDinner on the eve ofthe ’07 Masters.Previous awardrecipients includesuch notables as Dan

Jenkins, Jack Whitaker,Herbert Warren Wind,Dave Anderson, JimMurray, and RentonLaidlaw. Berry is thefirst local “golf beat”writer to be so recog-nized.

“I was lucky towork at two newspapers,the Detroit Free Pressand Detroit News,” saidBerry in accepting theaward, “that had a tradi-tion of covering localand state golf. I likedcovering the locals, theclub pros, the publinx-ers, and the amateurs, alleasily approachable andfriendly and happy to gettheir names in thepaper.”

“My favorite colors are blue and green—blue sky andgreen grass. I’ve had my share of both.

My favorite thing has beento find out what’s going on and write about it.”

—Jack Berry

S L I C E O F L I F E

By Terry Moore

From left, Greg Johnson, Jack Berry, and TerryMoore celebrate Jack Berry’s LifetimeAchievement in Journalism award at the GolfWriters Association of America award dinner.

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And did he ever get their namesin the paper. Berry originated theNews popular “Golf Page,” aweekly feature that covered allaspects of the game in the state—charity fundraisers, the newest golfcourse, profiles on players andowners. Although Berry has cov-ered 38 Masters and scores ofother majors, he never forgot norneglected the duties of the localgolf beat. That’s why, for example,he would drive down to Sharon,OH, to cover the U.S. OpenSectional event and wait for thelast qualifier to be determined,preferably some club pro or ama-teur from Michigan bursting with a

quote about heading to Oakmont,or Wing Foot or Oakland Hills.

“I’m lucky that I was born inMichigan,” said Berry at thepodium, “with its great historyand tradition in golf, with suchPGA champions as Walter Hagen,Walter Burkemo and ChickHarbert. Three Michigandershave won the Club ProChampionship. And OaklandHills has hosted major champi-onships…and a recent Ryder Cupthat perhaps the PGA would liketo forget for the result, but defi-nitely not for the facility, the gal-leries and the weather, which

were all spectacular.”

In his remarks, Berry alsoacknowledged his fellow golf writ-ers and their national organization,the Golf Writers Association ofAmerica (GWAA), in which heserved as both President and lateras its Secretary. “I’ve belonged to alot of writers’ associations butnone can approach the GolfWriters Association of America inwriting ability, camaraderie andaccomplishment.” During histenure as GWAA President in1984, Berry lobbied to havewomen reporters in the players’locker room at the Masters so they

Jack Berry

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could have equal footing withtheir male counterparts in doingtheir jobs. Later as the GWAASecretary, Berry was admired forhis informative and witty newslet-ters, savvy industry networking,and for his efforts— with the ableand tireless assistance of thePGA’s Julius Mason—to upgradethe annual awards dinner, makingit one of the most popularevenings of Masters week.

Berry’s award presentation wasalso noteworthy for a mostimpressive six minute video inwhich a number of his colleaguesand friends paid tribute to him,including Dave Anderson of theNew York Times, Dave Hackenbergof the Toledo Blade, Nick Seitz ofGolf Digest, Greg Johnson of theGrand Rapids Press, Treetops’Rick Smith, and this writer repre-senting Michigan Golfer whereBerry has been a longtime andloyal contributor.

Outgoing GWAA President ArtSpander of the Oakland Tribune(CA) said: “Today, too many jour-nalists put themselves in the story.Jack never was the story. The storywas what was going on the golfcourse.”

From Rick Smith: “He putnorthern Michigan on the map,made it come alive, and helped togrow the game.” And from pastGWAA President MarinoParascenzo: “With professionalism,integrity, and hard work, Jack pre-sented it fairly and accurately—that’s the key to journalism.”

Due to time constraints, thevideo unfortunately but wiselyomitted some lighthearted com-

ments about Berry’s infamous golfgame. But through unimpeachablesources, this writer learned of afew video “out-takes” such as thispriceless line from Johnson: “IfI’m ever lost in the desert, I hope Ihave one of Jack Berry’s golf ballsin my pocket—because that ballwould surely find water!” Anotherwriter recounted that Berry’s con-stant travails with the forced carryshot over water motivated oneMedia Day organizer to embroiderthe back of Berry’s gratis golf capwith this apt nickname:Aquaphobe.

But when it comes to writing,Berry plays at scratch. Despiteretiring from the Detroit News in1993, he’s remained active andinvolved in golf circles by not onlywriting and advising on golf butserving as a steadfast volunteer forvarious projects including the

GWAA Journalism ScholarshipFund which identifies worthy col-lege undergraduate recipients at hisalma mater, Michigan StateUniversity.

In his remarks, Berry quotedhis predecessor at the News, thelate John Walter, who once saidabout the golf beat, “You go tothe nicest places and meet thenicest people.”

Often the nicest and mostdeserving people win prestigiousawards.

Richly deserved, this time JackBerry is the story.

A member of the GWAA, TerryMoore lives in Grand Rapids, MI

and may be contacted [email protected] MG

Jack Berry (r), known for his great writing skills,helped bring in the Internet Television era as areporter with Michigan Golfer Television Host BillShelton (l).

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By Art McCafferty

This year, the Gaylord GolfMecca celebrates 20 yearsof doing business. It is a

nice story to write about, as itshows what cooperation can do foran organization. The major playersinvolved with putting this formida-ble group together, were KeithGornick and Dick Weber of TheOtsego Club, Larry Bowden of TheNatural at Beaver Creek Resort,Bill Topham of Treetops Resort,Dan Webster of Gaylord CC, DaveSmith of Wilderness Valley, andPaul Beachnau representing thenewly formed Gaylord Conventionand Visitors Bureau.

From that start, the GaylordGolf Mecca grew in size, visibilityand prestige. They have increasedtheir number of courses from eightto 21 and their lodging propertiesfrom four to 20. Gaylord has gonefrom a quiet northern Michigantown, to a major recreational area.While golf is king, there is alsosubstantial skiing, snowmobiling,boating and fishing to round outtheir product line.

The Gaylord Golf Mecca’s golfinventory is impressive. Golfcourse designers include, RobertTrent Jones, William Diddle, TomFazio, Rick Smith, Tom Doak,Jerry Matthews, Ron Otto andMike Husby. Many of their courses

have appeared in Top 100 lists inGolf Digest and Golf Magazineand have dominated Michiganbased lists for years.

Through the cooperation of thevarious properties they haveachieved national recognition. Thebiggest star in this galaxy of starsis interestingly, Threetops, the par3 course that was designed by RickSmith. This course has been fea-tured on ESPN for almost adecade. The Par-3 Shootout,invites members of the PGA andChampions tour to the resort toplay for a half million dollars.

Golf professionals that haveplayed the tournament include, Lee

Gaylord Golf MeccaCelebrates 20 Years

Photo: Otsego Club’s The Tribute, hole no. 4.

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Trevino, Jack Nicklaus, ArnoldPalmer, Fred Couples, PhilMickelson, Chris DeMarco, LeeJanzen, Andy North, and RaymondFloyd, Lee Trevino, was the onlymember of the group to make ahole in one and share the top prizeof one million dollars.

Treetops also was a star playerin the making of the first BigBreak television show on the GolfChannel. Rick Smith, who hadbeen getting some serious facetime as a teacher on the network,was a natural choice for the event’shosting duties. The first showhighlighted the resort and its manycourses. Smith might still bedoing the show, but he becamePhil Mickelson’s teaching pro andthe demands of his schedulewould not allow Rick to continuehis hosting duties, a situation hegreatly regretted.

As the Gaylord Golf Mecca cele-brates its accomplishments of thepast and begins to re-tool itself forthe next decade, it will do so under

different leadership. Harry Mellinghas passed and the resort is in thehands of Rick Smith and a numberof silent partners. Osprey S.A., thus

ending over five decades ofGornick ownership, pur-chased the Otsego Club aswell as the Wilderness Valleycourses, which includes,Black Forest. The LakesCourse has been sold andrebranded as the MountainLake GC.

They will be retoolingunder a different economicclimate then they faced 20years ago. The graph depict-ing rounds played, peaked in2000 and has declined everysince. Most of the propertiesare struggling due to the lostof rounds and other golfrelated revenues. Still, theGaylord golf community issetting its course for betterdays. MG

The Natural, hole no. 9

Treetops, Robert Trent Jones Course, hole no. 6

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Buck's Run with Jerry Matthews and Jim ZehVideo: http://michigangolfer.tv/2006shows/bucksrun/

Rose Creek-with Arthur Hills and Steve ForrestVideo: http://michigangolfer.tv/2004shows/rosecreek/

The Bull at Pinehurst with Jack NicklausVideo: http://michigangolfer.tv/2003shows/thebull/

The Loon with Mike HusbyVideo: http://michigangolfer.tv/2005shows/Loon/

The Majestic at Lake Walden with Jerry Matthews & Bill FountainVideo: http://michigangolfer.tv/2005shows/majestic/

The Natural at Gaylord with Jerry Matthews & Larry BowdenVideo: http://michigangolfer.tv/2005shows/natural/

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The GLSP Internet Television Network is proud to present

The Heather at Boyne Higlands: 40 Years Younghttp://michigangolfer.tv/2006shows/boynegolf/heather/

–– a GLSP signature video by Joseph Yunkman

For Information on our Yunkman Signature Series for 2007Contact: Art McCafferty [email protected]

Other Signature Videos by Joseph Yunkman:


By Jack Berry

In all the years that I’ve inter-viewed people, I’ve never metanyone like Mike Biber who

seemingly almost overnight hasbecome a major figure in Michigangolf with eight courses stretchingfrom Kalamazoo to the newestaddition, the historic Otsego Clubin Gaylord.

Biber summed up our lunchmeeting at The Capital Grille inTroy with an e-mail two days later:

thanks for the good timelaugh too muchtalk too muchwork too hardtalk about families too muchtoo much good foodthen back to worknot a bad combinationlike what we do

Like what he’s done is build acompany, Osprey S.A. Ltd., thatmanages nearly five million squarefeet of space in suburban officebuildings, medical office buildingsand industrial and warehouse spacein Florida, Texas, North Carolinaand Michigan.

Biber said that recreation isonly five percent of Osprey’s busi-ness but, like the bird it’s namedfor, it spreads big wings. It startedsmall, with “player-friendly” par71 Ridgeview in the 1970s inKalamazoo.

“It cost $200,000 back then andwe put $12,000 down. It was allthe money we had.”

Golf is in Biber’s blood. Hisfather, Walter, was pro in Lansing,Sault Ste. Marie, Jackson andfinally at Kalamazoo CountryClub. Biber said his father, RonLaParl of Battle Creek CountryClub and the late Reggie Myles Jr.of the Country Club of Lansingwere compatriots.

“I started working in the proshop In Kalamazoo when I wasfive or six. My dad had me paint-ing the bag room. He emphasizedjunior golf and started caddy schol-arships. He was an innovator. Hewas the first to have carts and thenhe almost got fired for puttingwomen’s clothing in the golfshop.”

In later years when Ridgeviewbecame available, Biber and hisbrother and sister bought it. It isdescribed as “an excellent choicefor senior players, families andkids wanting to play the game at arelaxed pace.”

With the late December acquisi-tion of the Otsego Club, Ospreyhas the blueblood of Michiganresorts, originally the private rustichideaway where the Fords and theBriggs and the Durants skied andplayed golf.

In between, Biber and his part-ners collected The Medalist, ademanding 18 hole course by BillNewcomb in Marshall, ManisteeNational’s two courses, Cutter’sRidge by Jerry Matthews andCanthooke Valley by GaryPulsipher (you can hook – thename comes from a lumberjack’stool) and Wilderness Valley’s twocourses near Mancelona, the first anice relaxed 18 by longtimeOakland Hills professional AlWatrous, and brawny Black Forest,one of Tom Doak’s early designs.

“Tom agreed to finish BlackForest for us – He said it’s thetoughest course he ever designed.And he agreed to look at Manistee.I’d also like to encourage him toredesign the Classic (Otsego’s firstcourse by William Diddle).”

Nothing was set on a date at thetime of this writing. Biber is hop-ing that since the courses are closeto Doak’s Traverse City home

Mike Biber

Mike Biber Takes OverThe Otsego Club

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they’ll be tempting, just a shortdrive instead of plane trips to thefar-flung properties he’s worked onsince becoming one of the most in-demand designers in golf.

Biber’s timing for expandingOsprey’s recreational properties –he was high bidder for KeithGornick’s Otsego Club – mightseem strange in view of the strug-gles in the Michigan market withthe downsizing of the automobileindustry.

“I’m a contrarian. I thinkMichigan is coming back. We’reMichiganders,” Biber said of hisfamily and his Brighton-based

company.Biber said when he and three

partners started the company sevenyears ago as a private investmentcompany, all of the properties theyinvested in were in Michigan.

“My job was to diversify andnow we’re in Florida, Texas andNorth Carolina and less than one-third of our business is inMichigan. It’s easy to lease 100percent in Houston, Tampa andCharlotte but not in Detroit. Butwe have 1.5 million square feet inDetroit and it’s fully leased.

“Everybody criticizes Detroitbut we think it’s on the rebound

and the automobile companies areworking hard. It’s a gamble for us.You take what the market godgives you and there are good pricesin Detroit right now,” Biber said.

“We have a good team withgood young people and we hope tobuild the company for their grand-kids.

“Golf is a tough business in atough economy in a tough state.We’re making money but not a lotof money. You’ve got to manage ithard and give good value. Whenyou buy low, you better have a lotof capital. You better be in thebusiness. It better not be a hobby. I

The Lodge at the Otsego Club

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didn’t buy a ski hill(Otsego) because I love toski. I haven’t skied in fiveyears.”

Osprey’s plan for Otsego,which Detroit steel magnateDon McLouth opened in1939, is renovating all of thecabins and lodge and con-structing a first class snow-boarding area. Michigannever can match the Rockiesfor ski terrain but you don’tneed a 14,000-foot mountainfor boarding.

The Gornick family,Keith and his father, Alan,before him, made “the Club”a family area for the halfcentury they operated it.Biber said he used to takehis family there but over theyears, as the youngsters gotbigger but the hill didn’t,they lost interest in skiing.Boarding has brought themback and Biber said “Keithand his family have meant alot to Michigan families andwe hope to carry on that tra-dition. Otsego is a little gemthat we hope to take to thenext level.”

Biber expects the combi-nation of Doak’s BlackForest, just a short drivesouth of Gaylord, andOtsego’s Tribute course withits spectacular views overthe Sturgeon River Valley, tohelp fill the resort’s 100rooms.

As for neighborhoodcompetitor Treetops, only afew miles east of Otsego,

Biber said “Thank God forRick Smith and Treetops.There’s 100,000 potentialcustomers driving right pastmy place.” And he likesArcadia Bluffs, Smith’saward-winning design justnorth of Osprey’s two cours-es at Manistee National.

“They’ve been wonderfulto us,” Biber said. “We hada wind shear that took out500 trees and they were thefirst to call us and offer ushelp. The best thing thatcould happen to us was tobe near them.”

There’s method to thatmadness too. Manistee hasrooms, Arcadia doesn’t.Golfers can stay and playManistee and drive on up toArcadia to play there.

“Four years ago I wasasked what is the bestcourse in the area. I saidCrystal Downs is first and itwould probably cost $600 ifyou could get on it. ArcadiaBluffs is next and it’s $180.We charge $60 and I said‘When you’re done, tell mewhich one you enjoyed themost.’”

Biber obviously enjoyswhat he’s doing and wherehe’s doing it. He cancelleda meeting in Floridabecause he didn’t want tomiss the first snowfall inMichigan.

“Now if it was the 50thsnow…” he said, laughingall the way. MG

Osprey

By Jack Berry

What’s in a name? Theumbrella name of sixMichigan golf proper-

ties and a private real estate trustbased in Brighton came whenMike Biber had a small home inOsprey, Fla., a town of 4,000 onthe Gulf of Mexico, south ofSarasota.

“I bought a little bitty propertythere and I needed a name for it. Ithought of a couple names andwas told they weren’t available,”Biber said. “So I said Osprey.They said that wasn’t available soI said Osprey SA Ltd. I was buy-ing a company in Spain at thetime and SA is company designa-tion and stands for SociedadAnonima.”

And what is an osprey?Ospreys are large raptors with awingspread of 4-1/2 to 6 feet.They plunge feet first into thewater for fish. They’re not only inFlorida and up the east coast butalso in northern Michigan waters.

Looking for a picture of anosprey for the company logo,Biber said a friend showed himthe back of a Canadian $20 bill.An osprey. MG


By Michael PatrickShiels

Michigan’sPresident, thelate Gerald Ford,

was eulogized very pub-licly in Palm Springs,Washington D.C., and,ultimately, his hometownof Grand Rapids. It isthere, on a shaded hillsidealong the Grand River, thathe lies, beside the GeraldR. Ford PresidentialMuseum.

While America watchedthese funerals on television,one is left to wonder whyBeaver Creek, Colorado,and, 12 miles to the east,Vail, were left out of the media pro-cession. After all, Ford maintained ahome in the area for the last 40 yearsof his life. I came here, to BeaverCreek, to find out why Beaver Creekwas the Western White House forthe Republican President Ford, and,his place of solace after losing the1976 Presidential election toDemocrat Governor Jimmy Carter,of Georgia.

Gerald and Betty Ford lived inBeaver Creek for five months ofeach year; hosted celebrities in anannual charity golf tournament;

ceremoniously lit the Beaver CreekChristmas Tree each year; andserved as Grand Marshall for theIndependence Day Parade. Heserved the board of the lovelystone chapel he helped create andworshipped in. More serious busi-ness took place here, too, as Fordfounded, in 1982, a forum calledthe American Enterprise Institute,which brought world leaders suchas England’s Margaret Thatcher,Germany’s Helmut Schmidt, andthe American Presidents to BeaverCreek. Now, you’ll encounterskiers from around the world each

time you ride a Beaver Creekchairlift.

“I don’t think anyone did more toput Beaver Creek on the map thanGerald Ford,” Harry Frampton,Chairman of the Board of theValley Foundation, told me as wesat in the Centennial ConferenceRoom of the quaint and classy Innat Beaver Creek, where Ford host-ed an annual reception for thecharities which benefited from hisgolf tournament. In 1981, Ford wasone of the founding members ofthe organization, as Frampton

President Ford Left His Ski and Golf

Legacy at Beaver Creek

Art McCafferty films the tribute to President Ford at the Gerald R.Ford Museum in Grand Rapids.



explained to me as I interviewedhim on my radio show. “For over20 years President Ford nevermissed a single board meeting. Hewas there every month. And hewas always there on time. He wasalso very active in contributing tothe meetings.”

“What was it like to sit in meet-ings with a former President of theUnited States?” I asked Frampton.

“Well, it was very intimidatingsometimes. But I wasn’t as scared asmy wife. The first time we wereinvited to a cocktail party atPresident Ford’s home, she was justas nervous as could be. But once wegot to the house, Ford greeted herwarmly and asked her at least tenquestions about her and her activi-ties. It calmed her right down. Hewas such a good person that way.”

Ford’s home at Beaver Creek isplainly evident in a neighborhoodjust up the hill from the ski resortpublic areas and the Inn. It is notisolated or sealed off in any way,nor was he. Gerald and Betty Fordcould be spotted anywhere in town– even grocery shopping in thelocal Safeway store.

“Of course he always had secu-rity agents around him,” saidFrampton, “but we all knew themby name. It was very friendly.”

In fact, the only unique featureof Ford’s home are the securityquarters bunkered into the hillsideacross the small yard behind theblue, wooden home. The house ismost visible, in fact, by hopping aride on the Strawberry Park chair-lift, just outside the back door ofthe Inn at Beaver Creek. (Three

support poles up!) In fact, that con-venient chairlift is the closest to ahotel anywhere in North America,(about 30 feet) which is reasonenough to consider making the Innyour headquarters if you visitBeaver Creek. With only 45 rooms,it’s a homey escape from the hustleand bustle of the village area, yetonly about 100 yards from the cen-ter of town. Staff members, whoremember your name and tend toyour needs quickly, make you feel,shall we say, very Presidential.You’re likely to encounterPresidents and CEO’s, businessmoguls and titans of industry whofavor the Inn. When I asked thebartender if many celebrities stayat the Inn, he replied, “Celebrities?No. Our guests are more likely tobe the people who hire and writechecks to the celebrities.”

After a daily complimentary hotbreakfast, that Strawberry Parkchairlift, just beyond the wood-paneled ski lockers and out theInn’s back door, lifts skiers to apotential elevation of 11,440 feetof elevation and 148 trails over1,805 acres, with challengingmoguls, steep sweeping runsthrough wooded passages, andgentle glides leading to the stylishvillages of Beaver Creek, BachelorGulch and Arrow Head. The routeI took to the Broken Arrow Barstretched over four miles of vary-ing downhill pitch with majesticmountain views the entire way.

Back in the Beaver CreekVillage, you can enjoy outstandingdining at restaurants such as thebrilliantly Italian Toscanini justbeside Beaver Creek Village’scharming, year-round outdoor iceskating rink, or, near the resort

gate, in Beaver Creek’s originalhomestead ranch house, a four-star,French, chef-driven gourmetrestaurant with magical cuisine andatmosphere. There are romantic“on mountain” dining options aswell, such as Beano’s Cabin,accessible only via sleigh ride, or,during the day, you can ski to thefestive, themed Red Tail Camp,where the vegetarian chili is aspicy, warm-up option.

Rooms at the Beaver Creek inrange between $200 and $400 per-night; a daily lift ticket at BeaverCreek, which allows skiing from8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m., costs $80 foradults. There are various flightoptions into the Vail or DenverAirports from Detroit, includingNorthwest Airlines and Frontier,both of which offer non-stops intoDenver, which is about two-hour’sdrive to Beaver Creek via shuttle busor rental car. Vail/Eagle Airport is 25miles from Beaver Creek, andBeaver Creek will give you a freelift ticket on the day you fly in justfor showing your boarding pass andVail Valley lodging confirmation.Visit http://BeaverCreek.com to havea look at the various amenities andeven book travel (special discountsare available.)

President Ford made BeaverCreek his home; you and yourfamily can be certain to feel athome here, as well.

Michael Patrick Shiels hosts theMichigan Talk Network’s “Big

Show” each weekday morning from6-10 a.m. on 11 radio stations across

the state. His travel articles andcolumns appear in publications

around the world. He may be con-tacted at [email protected] MG


By ArtMcCafferty

Afew yearsago, whenI was

researching aseries of articles onthe history ofMichigan golfcourses, the nameof Tom Bendelowemerged repeated-ly. While I notedthe name, it wasmy work onDonald Ross’sMichigan coursesthat really piquedmy interest.

In Ross’ book,“Golf Has NeverFailed Me,” hementioned that hehad designed theMuskegon CountryClub in 1911.When I calledupon Muskegonduring the researchfor my article, theyproduced a draw-ing and a letterthat Donald Ross wrote in 1920. Itwas a fact that nearly a decadebefore Ross visited Muskegon,Tom Bendelow had been toMuskegon and had designed theMuskegon Country Club course.

Why had Donald Ross claimed

this golf course to be his own,when clearly another person haddone the original design? Thisquestion led to others as I contin-ued my research into the history ofthis forgotten golf architect. I wasso moved by Bendelow’s story thatI wrote an article about him for theMichigan Golfer: “Tom Bendelow;

Golf’s JohnnyAppleseed”. Sincethe articleappeared online, Ihave been contact-ed by others inter-ested in Bendelowand others whowanted to help setthe record straight.One of those indi-viduals was StuartBendelow, Tom’sgrandson.

I am glad thatStuart Bendelowhas taken the timeto correct thehistorical recordand enlighten thegolfing communi-ty. For example,52 Michigan golfcourses weredesigned byBendelow. I thinkthis would beastounding newsto any golf writeror reporter inMichigan.

His book,“Thomas “Tom” Bendelow TheJohnny Appleseed of AmericanGolf,” has a deafening and mostclarifying ring to it. Now, withStuart Bendelow’s book, thisimportant golf architect will be for-gotten no more. MG

Tom Bendelow – Now Remembered

Documents

Art McCafferty - Michigan Golfermichigangolfer.com/april07/spring0407.pdf · Cover: Jack Berry with his family at the Golf Writers Association of America Award dinner, April 4, 2007