VGA Illinois

⛳️ Sun, Fun, and Fairways at RedTail GC! 🏌️‍♂️☀️

What a phenomenal day on the course! A day before the official start of summer, the weather gave us the perfect amount of sunshine, even if the wind was a touch much! 💨 But a little breeze couldn't dampen our spirits, because the competing company was absolutely perfect. 🙌

🌟 Today's Highlights & Shoutouts

• 🚗 The Long Haul: A huge VGA salute to Dan and Michelle for making the drive north to walk the beautiful fairways with us today!

• 🍋 Neighborhood Entrepreneurs: Shoutout to the awesome kids who set up a backyard lemonade stand right by the out-of-bounds stakes. Talk about perfect timing for some crucial hydration!

• 🪨 Rockin' the Traps: Hopefully everyone had fun navigating the famous rock gardens protecting the greens today.

• 🍔 19th Hole Fuel: A massive thank you to the staff and cook at RedTail GC for the delicious grilled burgers and brats! Exactly what we needed after 18 holes.
Despite the wild weather and tornadoes trying to split our state in half these past two weeks, it was an absolute joy to get out there on such a beautiful day!

💙 Thank You to Our Sponsor

Magellan Corporation. Your generous contributions truly make a difference in our members' lives! 🤝✨

🥇 GROSS FLIGHT WINNERS 🥇

• Veteran B Flight: Michael Schweizer (+10 / 82) 🏌️‍♂️⭐
• Veteran C Flight: Dan Helfers (+15 / 87) 🏌️‍♂️⚡
• No Handicap Flight: John Ruleau (+21 / 93) 🏌️‍♂️💪

🥇 NET FLIGHT WINNERS 🥇

• Veteran D Flight: Jon Foster (-4 / 68) 🏌️‍♂️🔥 (Incredible under-par finish!)
• Wounded Veteran C Flight: Mike Mason (-4 / 68) 🏌️‍♂️🎖️ (Tying the low net score of the day!)
• Senior B Flight: William Goggins (+2 / 74) 🏌️‍♂️👴🌟
• Senior C Flight: John Stallings (E / 72) 🏌️‍♂️🎯
• Family B Flight: Richard Anderson (+3 / 75) 🏌️‍♂️👨‍👩‍👦🏆

Until the next tournament... keep hitting 'em straight! 🏌️‍♂️👇

🦅 Taming the Tail: 32 VGA Members Face the Infamous 5th Hole at Redtail!⛳🏌️‍♀️🏌️‍♂️

Live Leaderboard: https://tinyurl.com/TailVGA

Here is what’s on the leaderboard for today's excitement:

• VGA Debuts: Give a massive welcome to Shasta Bell, Kristen Baustert, and Steven Morones as they participate in their very first VGA event! 🎉

• The Race to State: Michelle Calloway and Tyler Sawyer are teeing off their 3rd round today, officially earning their VGA handicap and making them eligible for the Illinois State Championship! 🏆

• Border Crossings: Today we welcome our neighbors from VGA Wisconsin. 🧀

• The Return: Lew Arceo is back from competing in a VGA Tennessee event, we can't wait to hear how it went! 🎸

☀️ Weather Update:
The forecast for Village of Lakewood, IL on Saturday is looking beautiful and mostly sunny with a comfortable high of 77°F.

Let's hit the fairways! 🏌️‍♀️🔥

🏆 2026 VGA IL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP! 🏆

We are thrilled to announce that the 2026 VGA Illinois State Championship is taking place at the spectacular Annbriar Golf Course in Waterloo, IL! ⛳️

📅 Save the Date: Saturday, July 25, 2026
🚀 Format: 8:00 AM Shotgun Start (Opening Ceremonies at 7:30 AM)
🌟 ABOUT THE COURSE: CONQUER ANNBRIAR!

Annbriar GC is an award-winning, 4.5-star-rated public masterpiece designed by Dr. Michael Hurdzan. It is celebrated as a true labor of love with an incredible layout built to test your skills:

🏜️ 115 Bunkers: Accuracy is key! You’ll need to navigate a sea of sand spread across 18 beautiful holes.

⛰️ A Tale of Two Nines: Enjoy a forgiving, links-style track on the front nine before facing dramatic elevation changes and deep valleys on the back nine!

📸 The Signature 11th Hole: Prepare yourself for the breathtaking Par-4 11th, which plays from an elevated tee down into a valley, voted one of the absolute best holes in the St. Louis metropolitan area!

🏆 Championship Pedigree: Annbriar has proudly hosted qualifying events for the Korn Ferry Tour's Memorial Health Championship.

💰 EVENT FEES & INCLUSIONS

All-Inclusive Player Fee: $151.27
Your registration includes:
Green fees & cart 🛒
Delicious lunch 🍔
Range balls & full access to the practice facility 🏌️‍♂️
(Prepaid at registration. Please note: There will be no pairing requests for the State Championship).

📅 REGISTRATION SCHEDULE

⚠️ CRITICAL REQUIREMENT: VGA Members must have played at least 3 events this season to qualify!

🔴 June 15: Opens to all VGA IL Members
🔵 June 29: Opens to all Central Region Members
🟢 July 13: Opens to all VGA Members
⏰ Registration Closes: Monday, July 20th at 11:00 PM CST!

PRACTICE ROUNDS

⛳ Practice Rounds: Limited practice rounds are available on Friday, July 24th starting at 12:00 PM. Email Joel Collins at ⁠[email protected]⁠ to lock in your time!

📞 QUESTIONS?

Reach out to your IL State Director, Mike Corcoran:
📧 Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Spots will fill up incredibly fast for this prestigious event. Mark your calendars, double-check your eligibility, and get ready to bring your 'A' game to Annbriar! 🏆💥

Erin Hills | The Land as It Lies Ep.7 Erin Hills proves that, with the right piece of land, there is no need to move millions of cubic yards of dirt, sometimes the site is already there. Memorie...

⛳️ Chasing Wind: A Day at Shepherd’s Crook! 💨🏌️‍♂️

🌬️ The Verdict: Two Clubs & A Whole Lot of Fescue

What a day out at Zion’s own slice of Ireland! The mid-June weather decided to keep us on our toes today. That cool breeze wasn't just refreshing, it was a dynamic game changer, forcing a solid two-club difference on some of our shot selections.

Those wide-open, tree-free fairways suddenly felt a whole lot tighter, and that tall, rolling fescue felt just a little bit closer than anyone preferred.

⛳️ The Greens: Subtle Ass-Kickers

If you thought you had a clean read, the course had other plans. True to its Keith Foster golden-era design, the greens were absolute subtle ass-kickers today. Those sneaky ridges and slopes definitely took their toll.

🌅 Dusk, Cheeseburgers, & Tall Tales

We wrapped up the day the only proper way:

Watching a beautiful dusk settle over the natural, rolling terrain.

Heading to the veranda grill for a heavily recommended post-round cheeseburger 🍔.

Looking out over the 9th and 18th holes, swapping notes on the rounds.

Hopefully, everyone went home with at least one great story to tell.

Gross Division Winners ⛳

Veteran B Flight: Alfonso Patlan (+18 | 89) 🥇

Veteran C Flight: Lee Plemons (+15 | 86) 🚀

Female Veteran C Flight: Robin Billiter (+17 | 88) 👑

No Handicap Flight: Bethany Teichert (+29 | 100) 💪

Net Division Winners 🏌️‍♂️

Veteran D Flight: Andrew Monroe (-2 | 69) 🔥 (Way to go low!)

Wounded Veteran C Flight: Mike Mason (+12 | 83) 🙌

Family C Flight: Sergio Beltran (+6 | 77) 🌟

Senior B Flight: Timothy Sattley (-1 | 70) 🎯

Senior C Flight: John Stallings (-5 | 66) ⚡ (Absolute clinic out there!)

Drop a comment below to congratulate our flight champions! Thank you to everyone who came out, played hard, and made it an amazing day on the greens. Until the next one, keep swinging easy! 🏌️‍♂️⛳🎉

Borderline Obsessed! 🗺️ Play So Close to Wisconsin You Can Practically Smell the Cheese! 🧀⛳️

Live Leaderboard: https://tinyurl.com/ShepherdsVGA

Get ready for an exceptional day of competitive golf on this beautiful Keith Foster-designed links-style track. It truly delivers that classic "Ireland in the Midwest" feel, reminiscent of legendary courses like Ballybunion and Waterville.

🏆 Handicap Updates:

• Joseph Arne officially has his 3 events under his belt! He is rolling into today's round with his fresh new VGA handicap. Let’s see it work! 🏌️‍♂️📊

• Grind mode is ON for Daniel Galvan, Tyler Sawyer, and Bethany Teichert, all three are earning their official VGA handicaps post-round today! Finish strong! 🏅💪

👏 Road Warrior Shoutout:

• Shoutout to road warrior, Kevin Amos (VGA Arkansas)! He has already played in 39 VGA events this season and just finished competing in Kentucky's State Championship yesterday. 🤯🏆

☀️ Zion, IL Weather: We’ve got beautiful golf weather locked in! Expect plenty of sunshine during the day with a high of 67°F and a crisp northwest breeze at 15 mph. 🌬️🕶️

As you tackle the course today, keep these fun layout quirks and features in mind:

• Golden-Era Architecture: Expect immaculate bent grass fairways, tees, and greens, along with a classic architectural nod to the 1920s and 30s, square tee boxes! 📐

• The Border Crossing: Keep it precise on the 13th green, which sits a mere 40 yards from the Wisconsin state line. 📍🇺🇸

• Monster 14th: Prepare yourself for the behemoth par-5 14th hole, stretching an incredible 654 yards from the back tees! It stands as one of the absolute longest holes in the Chicagoland area. 🏋️‍♂️💥

• Short Game Warm-Up: While there is no traditional driving range, you can hone your touch on the massive, half-acre (23,000+ sq ft) practice green built to perfectly mimic the true ridges and speeds of the course. ⛳

• A Walker's Paradise: The open, rolling, and natural terrain makes it an absolute dream to walk. 🚶‍♂️

• Post-Round Grub: Win or lose, locals highly recommend celebrating or unwinding with a legendary cheeseburger at the veranda grill, featuring perfect views overlooking both the 9th and 18th holes! 🍔🍻

⚡️ All Thunder, No Rain! 🌦️ Conquered the 16th hole peninsula and outran the storm for a gorgeous day at Cinder Ridge GC! ⛳️🔥

The results are in, the scorecards have been signed, and we have our flight champions! Huge congratulations to everyone who hit the links and battled it out.

Here are the golfers who took home the top spots in their respective flights:

Gross Flight Champions 🥇

Veteran B Flight: Kevin Hamilton (+17 | 89) 🏌️‍♂️

Veteran C Flight: Dayton Stevenson (+18 | 90) 🔥

No Handicap Flight: Doc Mahoney (+18 | 90) 🎯

Net Flight Champions 🎯

Veteran D Flight: Bill Palicki (+4 | 76) 👏

Wounded Veteran C Flight: Mike Mason (+6 | 78) 💪

Wounded Veteran D Flight: Avery Austin (-7 | 65) 🤯 What a round!

Senior C Flight: Danny Johnston (-8 | 64) 📉 Going low!!

Family B Flight: Kyle Spencer (+6 | 78) 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Give a round of applause for all of our winners in the comments below! 🥂👇

🌦️ From Rain to Reign at Gateway National! ☀️🏌️‍♂️

We’ve got the final results in from the links! Huge congratulations to all of our division winners.🏌️‍♂️🔥

Gross Flight Division Winners 🥇

Veteran A Flight: Matthew Messner (+16 | 87) 🎯

Veteran B Flight: Jonathon Parker (+11 | 82) 🚀

Veteran C Flight: Christopher White (+9 | 80) 🌟 (Lowest gross score of the day!)

No Handicap Flight: Justin Wolford (+24 | 95) 💪

Net Flight Division Winners 🥇

Veteran D Flight: John Cole (-2 | 69) 🔥

Senior B Flight: Stanley Hodges (-1 | 70) 🎯

Senior C Flight: Lowell Crow (+2 | 73) 👏

🙌 Drop a comment below to congratulate our winners, or gently tease your buddies about their handicap adjustments! See you all at the next event! ⛳️🍻

Reminder: All prior service military members must have received an honorable discharge, or general discharge under honorable conditions in order to be eligible for VGA membership.

The following discharge characterizations are not eligible for VGA membership:

- Other Than Honorable (OTH)

- Bad Conduct Discharge (BCD)

- Dishonorable Discharge

- Dismissal from commissioned service

- Entry-Level Separation with unfavorable characterization

- Any other discharge or separation not classified as Honorable or General Under Honorable Conditions

🫡🇺🇸🏌️‍♂️🇺🇸🏌️‍♀️