Golf fans in Great Lakes State are in for a memorable year

e're back. We'd like to welcome you to the third season of Michigan's Golf Guide, a monthly magazine published February through August by The Detroit News.

It's going to be a special year for golf in Michigan. We've known all along that our state is a hotbed, and now others around the country are making the discovery.

In 1996, the reputation will be enhanced.

The best golfers in the world will be here in June for the U.S. Open at Oakland Hills Country Club's South Course. A national championship - whether it's the U.S. Open or the British Open or the Australian Open - is a showpiece. We're fortunate to have Oakland Hills as the venue. It's a great course, a layout anybody would be proud to show off. At the same time, the television shots of majestic Oakland Hills will show off our community.

You'll read in this issue also about the defending U.S. Open champion, Corey Pavin. His title defense at Oakland Hills is an inviting story line - the little guy takes on The Monster. But Oakland Hills' reputation isn't likely to discourage Pavin, who has been picking on big guys all his life.

The U.S. Open, which will be June 13-16, is just one of five Tour stops this year in Michigan.

In fact, this is a double-major year. The Senior PGA Tour's Players Championship, which takes place annually at the TPC of Michigan in Dearborn, is a major for the over-50 set. This year's dates are July 11-14, and J.C. Snead is defending champion. Snead defeated Jack Nicklaus in a playoff last summer.

The other Tour events: LPGA Oldsmobile Classic, at Walnut Hills in East Lansing, June 6-9; the PGA Tour's Buick Open, at Warwick Hills in Grand Blanc, Aug. 1-4; and the Senior Tour's First of America Classic, at Egypt Valley in Ada, just outside Grand Rapids, Aug. 9-11.

When you add the Michigan majors, the competition schedule is bursting at the seams.

Another major story this year will be the opening of Bay Harbor, the much-awaited golf/vacation/residential development in Petoskey built on five miles of Michigan shoreline. It is the Midwest's answer to the Monterey Peninsula and Pebble Beach.

Seeding at Bay Harbor will be completed this spring, and nine holes are scheduled to open in early July. The next nine are expected to be ready in late August or early September. Work will begin during the summer on the remaining nine holes of the 27-hole project.

Along the way, we'll keep you posted on other developments as they occur. Judging by the amount of activity in Michigan golf the past decade, we know there will be plenty going on.

We'll also try to help you with your game. The Golf Guide has assembled an impressive array of "staffers" in a short time, including members of the Michigan Section of the PGA who have been willing and helpful to discuss various facets of the game, from instruction to rules. Their contributions have been informative and interesting.

These men and women work long hours with rarely a day off during the golf season, yet always seem to find just a little bit more time in their busy schedules to help us - and you. I suspect I know the reason why. They are as attached to golf - and the people who play it and enjoy it - as we are.

We hope you enjoy the Golf Guide this season. We love to hear from our readers, so please don't hesitate to give us a call or drop us a line if there's something on your mind.

As long as it's about golf, of course.