"Golf clubs getting some use, snowmobiles are not"

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Snowmobilers' frustration is golf's gain reports Scott Seroka of KARE 11 in Minneapolis where the lack of snowcover means golf is an option just days before Christmas.

Turns out we found an industry that didn't mind the proverbial lack of snow on the ground. "We'll do an 11 o'clock shotgun on Sunday," Riverwood Head Golf Pro Steve Fessler said. "The temps sound good. The phone's been ringing off the hook, so we're kind of excited."

Almost 100 golfers hit the links on Tuesday and Wednesday at the course. 
Down the street at Pro Power Sports in Ramsey, business was good, but the mood could be a little better. "The cup is half full. We're waiting for the snow to arrive and we know it will," Michael Kamrad said. "It's lurking in Canada right now, knocking on the border door."

Let's go to the videotape...

"It would be a tragedy...if San Francisco were to host one of the world's two most important golf tournaments, while being in the process of destroying Alister Mackenzie's legacy just 10 miles away."

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Bill Fields explains where Sharp Park stands after a Board of Supervisors vote heads to Mayor Lee's desk, and also reveals parts of an impressive letter sent by Ken Venturi.

When considering a veto, Lee will have all that background at his disposal. Plus these words from Venturi, the most famous golfer to come out of a Bay Area muny, who in his letter to Lee, reminded him about the 2012 U.S. Open being held at San Francisco's Olympic Club.

"It would be a tragedy -- and a terrible public statement by the City to the international golf world -- if San Francisco were to host one of the world's two most important golf tournaments, while being in the process of destroying Alister Mackenzie's legacy just 10 miles away," Venturi wrote. "Please don't let that happen."

Lee's veto, however, wouldn't really be about public relations or being nice to a long-gone architect, however great his legacy. More than anything, it would say common sense hasn't gone out of style.

"The world changed."

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Jennifer Bjorhus reports on another high-profile course closing, this time 8-year-old Tom Lehman-designed Windsong Farm outside of Minneapolis. Quite a statement from the banker...

"The world changed," said club member and shareholder Mark Lewis.

Lewis, a semiretired businessman in Edina, said Windsong Farm was insolvent and unable to renegotiate its loan with Commerce Bank. Two of Windsong Farm's seven employees will remain through the end of the month, he said.

Lewis blamed the club's demise on poor timing and the difficulty of finding new members to pay annual fees of $7,500 in a lumbering economy.

Windsong's 130 equity members and 100 golfing members, who don't hold stock, weren't enough to make the club work financially, Lewis said. He said he doubts the 130 investors will recoup their investment.

James Senske, CEO of Commerce Bank in Geneva, Minn., said the bank won't comment on customer relationships.

"Like many other banks, some customers of Commerce Bank have been hit hard by the current ongoing economic recession," Senske said in a statement. "In these challenging times for its customers, the bank continues to maintain a strong capital position and remains committed to serving its customers in the normal course of business."

Finchem Vaults 5 Spots In SBJ's Most Influential List; Gets Unusually Flattering Photo Too

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ports Business Journal has presented their annual listing of the most powerful suits in sports working to do their best to emasculate our favorite pastimes, and boy are there are a lot of people I haven't heard of captured by photos of emotive hand gestures. PGA Tour Commish Tim Finchem, who vaulted five spots to No. 14, gets a really nice Getty image captured during the summer months when his brown hair has been lightened by the Florida sun and even better, he's not in a navy jacket or sporting awkward hand movements.
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DVR Alert: Victoria Golf Club And The Aussie Masters

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As I noted in this week's Golf World Monday, the cure to your primetime golf viewing blues is here in the form Victoria Golf Club and the JBWere Australian Masters. And while an apperance by Luke Donald along with several good storylines should be enough to interest you, it's getting the chance to see Victoria that makes this a must watch event.
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Contrary To Reports, Ogilvy/Allenby "Stoush" Is Still A "Stoush" Until Otherwise Noted

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Jim Tucker's inside sources said "repair work" was done following the Robert Allenby-Geoff Ogilvy kerfuffle threatening to make the Australian Masters wildy entertaining should we get the former teammates paired together. Of course, that would require Allenby to shave about six shots off of his handicap of late to occur, but miracles do happen.
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Allenby-Ogilvy Reunion At Victoria Will Be Purely Accidental

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Martin Blake on the possibility of Presidents Cup mates Robert Allenby and Geoff Ogilvy finding themselves paired together at this week's JBWere Masters at the must-see Victoria GC.

According to the man who creates the groupings, the Australasian PGA Tour's tournaments director Andrew Langford-Jones, it is the last thing golf wants. ''They'll be on opposite sides of the draw, most likely, not together,'' said Langford-Jones yesterday. ''The focus should be on the golf, not on personality clashes.''

Allenby and Ogilvy, teammates in Greg Norman's International team in the Presidents Cup last month, had a public argument in a restaurant area on the last night of the Australian PGA Championship at Coolum. Ogilvy is furious Allenby was quoted as blaming him for some of his bad results at the Presidents Cup, where he was the only player of 24 in the field who did not score a point. It has been reported he demanded an apology from Allenby, who had suggested they settle the matter outside.